Kingdom Hearts: Reborn
by Alex Bane
Summary: Alex Bane is just a regular kid. But when the darkness comes to Earth, he will find himself in a universe with heroes, villains, and an epic battle between light and darkness.
1. Awakening

**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is the property of Square Enix. All characters and places except for my own creations are theirs.**

**Kingdom Hearts: Reborn**

**Prologue**

He was falling. He knew that much. He didn't know where. He didn't know why or how. He was just falling. Falling into the abyss. The feeling on his body was cool and almost gave him chills. He then realized that this feeling was very similar to swimming. Or sinking. He wasn't sure, but the feeling was truly intoxicating. He wanted to stay like this forever. Forever in utter bliss. However, he started to feel himself moving faster and faster. Soon enough, the sensation just stopped.

He snapped his eyes open, wondering why or what brought him out of this wonderful feeling. He soon found himself squinting. He raised his hand over his face to see better and looked to the sky. It was the sun. The boy began wondering how he came out of the water so quickly. He looked around to see where he was.

He was on a beach, but unlike any beach he had ever seen. This one was truly beautiful. The water was pure blue and he could hear it going back and forth. It was the most peaceful sound he had ever heard. He was standing on sand. The sand was almost white with a little hint of brown. He could feel the sand beneath his feet even though he was wearing shoes. Unlike some beaches where the sand can be an annoyance, this sand was comfortable. It seemed to mold into the shape of your foot to fit your needs. The boy was truly astonished by this.

Suddenly, he was jerked out of his comfort by the appearance of a boy in the water. He hadn't been there before. The boy's hair was aqua blue. He was tall and quite muscular. The boy on the beach decided to greet this newcomer and started to walk to the water. What he saw made him stop. A gigantic wave suddenly appeared in front of the boy in the water, but the boy still stood there. The other boy decided to go pull the other boy out of there and started sprinting toward him. As he was running, the boy in the water finally acknowledged him and turned around. He seemed to have a smile on his face and he stretchced out his hand. The other boy reached out trying to grab the hand, but he was too late. The wave came and swallowed him up. He rolled a couple of times underwater before he could look to see what happened to the boy with blue hair.

To his surprise, the boy was still standing in the exact same position with his hand stretched out. The other boy tryed to grab it but the current took him and he floated into nothingness. He opened his eyes about ten seconeds later to realize that he was still in the water and running out of air. He broke the surface of the water and took the deepest breath he had ever taken. He shook the water out of his hair. He looked around to realize that he was still on the beach. There was a difference this time.

His first time on the beach was at midday he assumed. This time it was at sunset. The sky was crimson red wnd the sun a bright orange. It was the most beautiful sunset he had ever seen. He turned toward the beach to see if the boy with blue hair was on shore. There was a person on shore, but it wasn't a blue haired boy or even a boy for that matter. It was a girl. A very beautiful girl too. She was a little shorter than he was with dark red hair going down to her neck.

She waved to him and he waved back. He started to walk toward her. As he reached the end of the water, he stopped to catch his breath by putting his hands on his knees. She giggled at the expression on his face, but soon turned serious and looked to the sky. He turned around to see what she was looking at. Shooting stars were coming down from the sky, but that wasn't what grabbed his attention.

Something else was falling from the sky. It was a person. The boy looked even closer to see who it was. It was him! He gasped with awe. He didn't have any time to think about this phenomenon because his body suddenly went limp. He found himself falling again. The girl reached out to him but missed. He didn't think it would hurt that much because he was falling on sand. As if reading his thoughts, the ground beneath him disappeared. He saw the girl call out to him, but it was useless. He was falling again. Falling into the abyss.

He wasn't sure how long he was falling, but at some point in time he started to slow down. He started to stand right-side up instead of face down. He landed on something. He didn't know what, but he took a step anyway. Light began to strike out of the darkened platform. The pieces of darknes that made up the platform were flying away. Flying? He took a closer look. They were doves. He watched them fly away to realize that he truly was nowhere. He was surrounded by darkness, except for the platform he was on. He looked to see what it truly looked like.

The platform was stained-glass. There were multiple designs. In the center was the figure of a girl with a yellow skirt and a blue shirt. She had her eyes closed, but was holding an apple. The designs by her were pictures of seven men. Each of them looked different. There were pictures near the edge of the platform that were all different kinds of animals. Each of these pictures were looking at the girl with happiness. Most of the platform was green.

**So much to do... so little time... Take your time...**

The boy jumped at the sound of the voice. He looked around to see who was speaking only to find that he was the only one there. He wasn't alone though. Someone was out there. Out in the sky of darkness. The youth began to get scared.

**But don't be afraid...**

For some reason, the boy believed the voice. He had a feeling that it wasn't going to hurt him.

**The door is still shut...**

Before he was afraid, now he was just confused. What door? Should I open it? He didn't see any door.

**Now step forward. I wonder if you can do it ?**

It seemed as if the voice was mocking him in some way. He set out to prove the voice wrong of whatever point it was trying to make. He took a step. He took another. Another step. Another step. Soon enough he was almost on the edge of the platform.

**I sense much power sleeping within you boy. If you can give it form, it will give you strength.**

A stone podium suddenly appeared in front of him. On the podium was a red and black shield. In the middle of it was a design of One big black circle with two smaller circles on the sides of it. He wondered what this symbol stood for. Another podium appeared to the side of him. On top of this one was a staff. The handle was green and at the head of it was the same symbol on the shield. A final podium appeared behind him. This time it held a weapon that grabbed his attention the most. A sword. The hilt was gold and the blade was straight and pure white.

**Which weapon do you prefer? The power of the warrior: invincible courage and a sword of terrible destruction. The power of the mystic: inner strength and a staff of wonder and ruin. The power of the guardian: kindness to aid friends and a shield that will guard all from harm.**

The boy looked around wondering which one to choose. He had a feeling that the choice would be a matter of life and death.

**Having trouble with your choice? All right, I will help you realize your full potential.**

The weapons began to float in the air. suddenly, they began to dissolve into particles of light. The youth wondered what was going on. These light particles began to come toward him at a fast rate. he tried to run but his feet were planted to the ground. The particles began to go into him. Some went through his eyes, his arms, and legs. Some even went through his mouth. He was surprised that there was no feeling, but he felt something. Soon, all the particles had gone into him. He now felt something. It was a strength he had never felt before. It felt good.

The stone podiums suddenly started breaking. The boy started to worry. He really started to worry when he saw that the platform was breaking as well. He couldn't run anywhere. The glass began breaking in a wave that came toward him. He felt the ground leave him and he was once again falling.

He saw another platform right beneath him. He floated down towards it and landed on his feet. The platform was blue and purple. It had a girl on it, but this one had brownish hair tied in a bun and wore a shimmery blue dress. The boy thought it was the kind of dress you would wear to a ball. The pictures around it showed this woman dancing with someone and a shoe the same color of the dress. The boy thought there was a story behind it, but he didn't have time to ponder it because the sword from earlier appeared in his hands.

**You now have gained the power to fight and to protect those around you. Use this power as you see fit. I trust you will make the right desicions.**

He took the sword in his hands and gave it a swing. He could feel the power of the sword as it cut the air. He swung it a little more to get the hang of it. The sword was so light that it felt like it was an extension to his arm. He turned around to see a dark spot appear on the ground. He walked over to it and looked down at it. All of a sudden two yellow eyes appeared in the spot. The boy jumped back. The dark spot attatched itself to the eyes and soon enough it was a creature. It was about the size of a small dog and had two little antennaes on its small head.

The creature attacked. The boy didn't know what to do and before long he had a small cut on his arm. These things had claws! He didn't want to be a sitting duck so he rushed the creature. He swung the sword down at it, but it melted into the ground. He waited for it to appear.

**Behind you!**

The boy turned on his heel and swung with all his might. The sword cut the creature in mid-air. The boy opened his eyes wide, as if just realizing what had happened.

**Very good. But I wonder just how long that strength will last ?**

More black spots appeared on the platform, but no creatures came out. They began to spread into larger spots. The boy looked down to see a spot right beneath him. He lost his footing and the darkness swallowed him up.

He struggled against the darkness. He shook and hit, but it did no good. He screamed, but no sound came out. He still fought on. He hit solid groud. He opened his eyes. The darkness was gone. He was on another platform. This platform was bright pink with hearts on it. He got to his feet. Standing in front of him was a door. It was a brown double door that was arched at the top. It had designs on it too. The strange thing about the door was that it was transparent. The boy walked over to the door.Well I can't open it, he thought.

On cue the door began to sparkle. The boy backed up and closed his eyes. When he didn't hear anymore sound he opened them.

The door was no longer transparent. It was truly there now. The doors began to open in synch with each other. From the inside of these doors came a great light. The boy had to shield his eyes or he would have been blinded. Was this the door the voice was talking about ? The boy took a brave step forward into the light.

The light began to dim and he could see better. He was on a wooden platform that overlooked an island. It was the island with the very same beach. At this point, the boy realized that this place holds some significance. He didn't know what though. On both sides of the platform were trees. The platform was attatched to these trees. He wasn't the only person on it either.

Three people were on it. One was a boy with sandy blond hair that went down to his neck and jutted outwards. Another boy had short, orange hair except for one lock in the middle that was vertically standing in the air. The last person was a girl who had big green eyes and brown hair that came down to her neck and curled upwards. All three of them had different positions on the platform.

**Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me about yourself. I want to know just what kind of a boy you are.**

The boy didn't know what else to do so he walked over to the girl. The girl smiled at him.

"What is most important to you ?", she asked him.

"My life", he replied. That answer was aimed at the voice. The girl shook her head and sighed.

"If you really think about it, is your life so important ?" she asked. The boy turned away from her after that. He didn't want to talk with someone who was questioning his life. He walked over to the boy with sandy hair.

"What are you so afraid of ?", he asked.

The boy wasn't so sure he wanted to answer that question. He wanted to say the scary voice, but decided against it. Pissing off evil voice that can summon dark creatures equals bad idea.

"Losing my life", he replied. That one was a no-brainer.

"Is death so scary ?", the sandy haired kid asked.

The boy thought that that was a very stupid question and walked away. He walked over to the last person.

"What do you want outta life ?", the kid with wild hair asked.

"To see new places", the boy answered. This one he answered without a hint of sarcasm.

"To see new places huh ?", the kid asked. He laughed quietly to himself. The boy turned and walked away. He didn't know what to do now.

**So, you care about your life, you are scared of losing your life, and you long to see rare sights... I see. These traits are your greatest strength and your greatest weakness. But rest assured, someday soon these strenghts wll indeed become weaknesses and you will have to make the difficult choice of changing them or not.**

The boy wasn't sure what any of that meant and he was troubled by them. How will they become weaknesses? What will happen when they fail?

**The day the darkness will come for you is both far off and very near.**

The boy was chilled to the bone by these words. Why was the darkness coming after him? He just wanted to get out of this place. He wanted to be free from danger. He was blinded by a bright light and was whisked away from the island.

He found himself walking on a new stained-glass platform. This one showed the figure of a girl wearing a purple dress and she was holdin a red rose. She seemed to be asleep. Around her were thorny vines that looked like they wanted to grab her.

He heard a sound behind him and turned around to see a creature like the one before come out of the ground. It moved like a shadow. Only this time it wasn't the only one. The boy was soon surrounded by ten of these shadow creatures. He didn't know what to do, but soon the sword appeared in his hand. He felt stronger and more confident than ever with it in his hands. He held it with both hands and stepped into a combat stance ready for the Shadows.

The Shadows then began to attack. They didn't all attack at once. The boy dodged a claw strike from one and struck it with the sword. The creature exploded into black mist. Through that mist jumped two more who slashed at the boy. The boy slashed one and kicked the other one to get away. He didn't have any time to relax because the whole squad began to engage him. He swung the sword like a maniac. He sliced vertically to hit the ground ones. Whenever they jumped in the air he would strike horizontally. One tried to get at his legs and he jumped. His feet slammed on the Shadow as he landed. He looked up just in time to see another one leap at him. He blocked the claw by cutting it off and quickly stabbing the creature. He struck at another one, but it rolled out of the way. There were only three left and they were lined up in a straight line. The boy ran forward slicing, stabbing, and swinging his whole body around for a spin cut. He destroyed those three shadows in two seconds.

He stood in the middle of the platform sweating and bleeding in some places. But he was alive. He smiled to himself and was impressed that he survived.

Take that voice, he thought.

A beam of light shot from the dark sky and landed just outside the platform. Something began to form underneath it. It was a very small stained glass platform. It formed another and another. Soon there was an entire staircase of these platforms. It led to another platform higher up. The boy didn't know what he would find up there, but he wanted to find out. he climbed the staircase with feelings of exhileration.

He reached the big platform. This one had a picture of a brown haired girl with an elegant yellow dress. By her was what seemed to be some sort of beast. Around them were pictures of things you would find in a house. A tea set, candles, a clock and others.

**The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes.**

The boy wasn't sure what the voice meant and he didn't want to find out. He turned around to see his shadow. It was a lot bigger then it should have been. Suddenly, the shadow began to stand up and become three-dimensional. At first, it looked just like him. But it changed very quickly. The hair began to stretch and stretch until the entire face was covered with black tentacles. Two yellow eyes shined through the tentacles showing that it was one of the dark creatures. Its fingers became giant black claws. Its feet were curved inward.

**But don't be afraid.**

The boy didn't hear the voice. He was too petrified with absolute fear. His hands shook and he almost lost grip of the sword. His legs were weak. he decided to go back to the staircase and run. But when he got to the end of the platform, the staircase was no longer there. He almost lost his footing, but caught himself. He turned around to see the gigantic creature towering over him. It had two little black wings on its back. He realized that the only way to get out of this nightmare was to kill the monster. He had no strategy and no backup plan. He raised the sword, said a silent prayer and charged.

He went with the nearest body limb that he could reach and that was the hand. The boy jumped in the air and struck at the hand. Unlike the small shadow creatures, the blade just passed through the hand. It did hurt the creature though. It roared and the boy struck the hand some more. The creature rose its hand up and a dark sphere appeared in its hand. He slammed his hand into the ground, narrowly missing the boy. He rolled out of the way and realized this was a grand opportunity to do some damage. He ran and began slashing the hand with everything he had. The creature roared with pain, but kept its hand on the ground. The boy thought that this was easy. Until he felt a sharp on the back of his leg. He turned around. The Shadows were back. The gigantic creature was creating these things with its hand. The boy turned to the Shadows, kicking and striking. He struck two with one strike and stomped one to the ground.

Once the Shadows were gone, he turned back to the monster just in time to see its giant foot about to smash him. The boy rolled out of the way while still swinging his sword and hit the monster in the bottom of the foot. The monster howled in pain and swung his fist. The boy lay flat on the ground in order to dodge the mighty fist. He rolled on the ground dodging another fist. He got to his feet and stabbed the monster in the leg. The monster swung his foot and kicked the boy off. The boy landed on the edge of the platform, with the wind knocked out of him. He got up to see the monster kneeling and stretching his arms out. A giant heart-shaped hole appeared on its chest. In it was a blue sphere. The blue sphere began to shoot beams out. The boy began to use his agility to dodge the beams. He pivoted and spun to dodge one. One beam struck him. He fell to the ground and spread his legs just in time to dodge another. The boy knew he couldn't keep this up forever. He dodged the rest of the beams until they stopped. The monster slammed his fist in the ground again to make more Shadows. The boy then realized that all this time he had been going after legs and arms when he should have gone straight to the source. Its head. He ran to the hand, but instead of attacking it, he climbed on top of the hand. The monster looked at the boy, puzzled. The boy then began a mad dash up the monster's arm. It was then that the monster realized what he was doing and swung its arm upward. The boy couldn't hold on and was thrust into the air. Gravity took over and he soon began to fall. If he fell on the ground he would break his body. In a desperate move, he angled his body forward. He ended up falling right on top of the monster and used his sword to stop himself. He stabbed the head of the creature and rolled off. The creature began to howl. He had done it.

Or so he thought. The monster wasn't dead. It charged at the boy. For some reason, the sword disappeared. He dodged one fist, but was struck by another. He couldn't breathe. He lay on the ground with blood coming out of his mouth. The monster staring down at him. The floor began to dissolve into dark spots. the boy couldn't do anything. He tried to run, but dark tendrils thrust out of the spots and grabbed a hold of him. He reached out to no one and saw only those yellow eyes. Black fire began to engulf him and he screamed.

**But don't be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all. So do not forget... You are the one who will vanqhish the darkness.**

Alex Bane woke up.


	2. Alex

Chapter 2: Alex

Alex Bane woke with sweat dripping down his face and body. He was breathing heavily. He looked around his room to clarify that he was really there. He got out of bed and looked over his body. No cuts, no bruises, nothing. He let out a sigh of relief. His room was just like any typical teenager's room. Clothes were scattered on the floor. His closet looked like a tornado had struck. He could see the faint blue glow of his computer on the desk to the right side of the bed. He looked straight ahead to find that the tv was still on. Then, Alex remembered. He had been watching a movie and must have been more tired than he thought. Really tired.

He checked the alarm clock by his bed, which read 6:50. School started at 8:00. He realized that he should probably get ready for school. He took a quick shower, then headed down to breakfast. His mom was already eating.

"Good morning sunshine,"he said."How'd you sleep ?"

Alex didn't really want to answer that question, so he gave a mumble that was along the words of "fine". Rachel Bane took this as an obvious hint that he hadn't got a good night sleep and decided not to pester him. That's been happening a lot lately, she thought.

It had been. Until recently, Alex had been sleeping just like any other person. Now he was plagued by strange dreams that woke him in the middle of the night. She had recommended Alex to the school counselor and he went with no reluctance. He wanted to find out what was happening.

"I had another dream again," Alex said. "This one was different though. It was longer and some really wierd stuff went down.

"Do you want to talk about it ?," Rachel asked. She already knew the answer.

"If you don't mind Mom", he said. "I'll just speak with the counselor about this."

Rachel didn't press the matter any further. She trusted her son's decisions. That was one of the reasons why Alex loved her so much. She trusted him to make the right decisions. Most of the time he did, sometimes he didn't. Whenever he didn't, Rachel would just say,"Take this as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes". That was the philosophy she lived by and Alex would have to admit that it worked. Alex looked at the clock.

"Oh crap", he explained. "I'm gonna be late. See ya Mom." He grabbed his backpack with all the stuff he would need for the day and burst through the door. He ran down the street to the corner where the bus would pick him up. He made it just in time. Kids were already getting on. He was the last one.

"Cutting it kinda close, aren't we Mister Bane ?", the bus driver, Earl, asked with a smile on his face.

"Well you would too with the night I had," Alex exclaimed.

The bus driver simply laughed at the answer and let Alex on. As soon as he walked up the steps he started feeling better. School was an escape from those dreams. It also helped that the bus was filled with friends.

"Yo Alex !", screamed Daryl. Alex smiled and walked down to sit by him.

They chatted the rest of the way about random things. The bus drive took abouttwenty minutes to arrive at Midland School. Midland was a very big school. It housed about 10,000 students, all of which were 5th grade and up. This school also served as a high school. It was a white building that had 3 floors. The first housed the cafeteria, the teachers lounge, and all the items needed for experiments. The 2nd floor was for middle school students. The top floor was for high school students.

Alex had just turned teenager. 13 years old. He was in 8th grade. Alex was one of the younger ones, but that didn't matter at all. Not in Alex's case. Alex wouldn't call himself popular. He didn't want to appear like a snob, but that is what he was. Even among the high schoolers. That was one of the things that made school easier. It also helped that Alex wasn't a bad looking kid either. He had straight brown hair that went down to his eyebrows. He had bright blue eyes that many girls had fallen in love with. He was about 5'8 which made him a pretty tall 8th grader. He was also quite muscular. He didn't lift weights either. He was just naturally strong. Boys found that to be really cool. Girls found that to be really hot. Bullys found that to be a reason not to mess with him.

Some of this popularity had to go to Alex's brother, Sean. Sean was what any high school guy wanted to be. He was captain of the football team, smart, handsome, and was a nice guy all around. While Sean still messed around with Alex because they were brothers, Sean made sure that nobody messed with his little brother. They had a bond that most brothers didn't. When word got around that another Bane was coming to school, everyone wondered how Alex was going to live up to Sean's monumental reputation. At first, Alex didn't do anything which made some people suprised. But as soon as he got to Midland, Alex started to build a name for himself.

The Midland Ravens had a good team. It was even better when Sean joined. He had helped to lead the Ravens to the championship two times in a row. Football used to be the dominating sport that everyone went to see. That changed when Alex came. Alex didn't do football. He didn't really like it all that much. So he participated in something else. Basketball.

This was where Alex really shined. Sean was the king of football and Alex was the king of basketball. Alex could make any shot, dribble through anyone and not even break a sweat. He had the muscles for shooting and the agility of a cheetah. He couldn't wait to start playing for the high school team. There was a big game tonight, so everyone greeted Alex with open arms.

"You better play good tonight you hear me ?,"Daryl said as they walked through the entrance to school.

"Has there ever been a night when I haven't ?,"Alex said. He was confident in his abilities.

"Hey don't get cocky all right," Daryl warned. "You might be mister big man now, but as soon as you get on that court I know you get a little scared."

"Riiiight," Alex laughed. "Look I gotta get to my locker. I'll see you later.

Alex waved goodbye to Daryl and made his way to the locker. All the lockers were in a white hallway. They were lined up in rows. Upon top and bottom. Geat for people on top and annoying for ones on the bottom. Alex opened his locker with the right combination and opened it. Alex wasn't the type of person who showered his lockers with pictures, but he did have some. There were pictures of his team holding the championship trophy. Pictures of him and his brother. He looked at them with admiration, as if just realizing how fortunate he was.

"When are you gonna get a picture of me in there ?," Alex smiled at the voice and turned.

"As soon as you give me one Ashley," he replied.

Ashley Collins was Alex's girlfriend. She was a year older than him, but that didn't matter to Alex or Ashley. She was on the cheerleading squad and was one of the best kissers Alex had ever known. Not that he had kissed alot of girls, he just assumed Ashley was one of the best. She could also perfom a great spitball. She was rebel when she needed to be and that was one of the many things Alex liked about her. She was one of the most beautiful girls in the school. Alex often wondered how he got with a girl like her, but never worried about it too much. She had blond hair that reached down to her shoulders. She was a little shorter than Alex and she had green eyes.

"You know you could always take one from YOUR camera," she said, smiling.

"But that would take all the romance out of you giving it to me to put in my locker," Alex pronounced "romance" with a French accent.

"How is that romantic ?," she asked.

"I don't really know. That's basically a nice way of saying I'm really lazy," Alex admitted.

Ashley laughed and put her hands around Alex's neck. Alex put his hands around her waist. They both shared a long kiss. Strangely, when Alex kissed her he thought about that red-haired girl he saw in his dream. The dream! He had almost completely forgotten about the main reason he came to school today. It was really the only reason he came. He really wanted to hide under his bed with a lifetime supply of Oreos and a shotgun. Alex pulled away from the kiss with a faraway look in his eyes. Ashley looked at him, puzzled.

"Is something wrong ?," she asked.

Alex shook off the thoughts of the dream.

"Oh no everything is fine," he assured her. "Look I better get to class so I'll see you at lunch okay."

"I'd like that," she said, seductively. The reason was that lunch was a time for eating and Ashley and Alex's trademark make-out sessions in the broom closet. Noone knew when it happened, but they could always tell when they had done it. Alex usually had lipstick on his face and Ashley's hair would be all over the place. Today though, Ashley was worried about Alex a little. She could tell when something was wrong with him. She decided she would find out. If he wouldn't tell her, no broom closet fun for Alex.

Alex walked away wondering why he didn't tell her. He knew he was gonna have to sooner or later, but for now he would have to try to get through the day without looking like an idiot.

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like is any of this for real or not."

After lunch, Alex had finally gone to the counselor. He dreaded telling him what was in his dream. He'd look like a total nutcase. But the counselor, Mr. Bledsoe, heard and listened to every word Alex says. After Alex had finished with the story, Bledsoe asked him som questions. He wanted to ask why his hair was a mess, why his mouth looked redder than usual, and why when Alex walked in he was grinning from ear to ear. He decided not to.

"What do you think Alex ?," Bledsoe asked.

"I'm scared first of all. I think I'm going out of my mind. These dreams were usually just completely random ones, like running through a forest,or something. But last night... that wasn't random. And it felt so real. The monsters, the blood, everything. Oh, and did I mention that when I woke up this morning I felt better than I've ever felt. Like I could take on the world. And that voice said the darkness was coming for me. I don't know what that means and I don't want to find out. Should I put a night-light in my room ? Will the do the trick ? Because I will do anything to get rid of this. Just tell me what the hell is happening to me ?"

Bledsoe didn't say anything. He just stared at Alex.

"Any response would be good right about know," Alex pleaded. "Do I have cancer ? Do I need to take pills ? Do I need to take a freakin prosrate exam because I will ?"

"Alex," Bledsoe finally said. "These are just dreams. Dreams are very mysterious things. I think that yours is nothing more than a fantasy. A fantasy you unconciously made up. You must be under a lot of stress. The big game is tonight. Tons of crazy things go through people's heads when they get scared. You are no different. Say it with me."

"I am no different," Alex said. "I think I believe you. I guess I have been under some stress lately. I just need to find some ways to relieve stress. The game should take my mind off of it. Thank you Mr. Bledsoe."

Alex walked out of Bledsoe's office feeling a little bit better.

"These dreams are nothing. They are just dreams. The darkness isn't coming after me. I'm not hearing voices." Alex told himself. He walked away to find Ashley and relieve some stress.

Little did Alex know that those dreams were about to become a reality.


	3. Invasion

Chapter 3: Invasion

Before the game, Alex was worried. He wasn't sure if he could focus enough to play. He tried to explain this to Daryl, but what was he going to say.

"Daryl I can't play tonight because I'm afraid Satan is stalking me. He appeared in my dreams, gave me a sword, and made me fight a monster that looked like King Kong mixed with an octopus. I'm very sorry."

Alex laughed at the thought of that. He had just returned home from school. He had told Ashley about everything. To his surprise, she didn't run away. She actually was worried about him. She said she would be at the game tonight to cheer him on. That made him feel better. Now he was home just hanging out in his room. Suddenly, the door opened and Sean Bane walked in.

"Hey there little bro," Sean said. "How's it going ?"

"Great," Alex lied. "It couldn't possibly get any better." Sean wasn't convinced.

"Nu-uh. I know when something's bothering you," Sean said. Everyone does these days, Alex thought.

"Mom told me that you had another dream, is that right ?," he asked. Alex nodded.

"Look I'm not claiming to know what's going on in that big head of yours, but I do know that once any kind of game starts, your mind forgets all that's going on and just acts on instinct. As long as you don't think about it you'll be fine."

Alex knew that his brother was right. Once the game started, his mind would be on anything but darkness. It was then that Alex truly believed that nothing was wrong with him. Dreams are dreams no matter how real they seem.

"You're right. I'm sorry I was so out of it today. This one just really creeped me out. But I will play my best out there tonight. Thanks bro." Alex said.

"Hey no prob and just to make you feel better, if by some miracle the darkness does come after you, we'll kick its ass together, all right."

Alex was almost brought to tears by how much his brother loved him. He didn't show it though. That wouldn't have been cool.

"Well I gotta go," Sean said. "All this touchy-feely crap is making me nauseous."

Alex laughed. His brother went out of the room and Alex was left alone. He would remember his brother's words for a long time.

He remembered his brother's words at the game, which helped him tremendously. Alex was on fire that night. He made every shot count. He was faster than he ever was. He could feel some sort of new power flowing through him. The crowd cheered as Alex made the game winning shot. He was carried off the court by the team and the crowd.

"Awesome Alex!"

"You're the best, man"

"Can I have your autograph ?"

All of these phrases were told to Alex throught the locker room of the Ravens. Every single player couldn't believe how amazing Alex was on the court.

Alex was the last one to leave the locker room. He packed his uniform, smelly socks, and shirt into his gym bag. He left the school building. It was thundering outside. He knew his mom's car was parked on the other side of the parking lot. He saw the car and his mom and brother waiting inside for him. He started to run towards the car. But he heard a noise behind him. It was just a little rustle. Someone would dismiss it as a cat. That's what Alex did, but he looked around him just to make sure. he shook the thoughts out of his head and got in the car.

"There's the school hero!," Sean yelled and hugged his brother. "You were awesome out there tonight. I'm proud of you."

"I am too honey," Rachel said. "You did so great out there and Dad is gonna meet us at Applebees."

"Sweet!," Alex exclaimed.

Alex's dad was Michael Bane. He worked at Microsoft. He did a lot of night work and wasn't home to see the boys a lot. But when he did, they would all go out and do something special.

"He said he was sorry that he couldn't come," Rachel explained.

"He should be," Sean said. " Little Allie played good tonight."

"How many times have I told you not to call me that ?," Alex complained.

Sean scratched his head."I'd say at least forty."

Rachel drove the car out of the parking lot and headed toward Applebees. Along the way, Alex looked out to the sky. It was thundering like mad. Zues must be pretty PO'd, Alex thought. He remembered watching the news when he got home. It said that the skies would be calm tonight. Alex dissmissed it thinking that weathermen can be wrong. The thunder still made him uneasy. The sky looked weird too. It wasn't grey like in usual thunder storms. It was pitch black. Not like the night sky. There was only one word Alex could think of to describe the sky that night: evil.

"Mom, how much longer to Applebees ?," Alex asked urgently.

"We are here," she exclaimed. She pulled the car into Applebees and parked. Alex let out a sigh of relief, realizing that he was starving. He practically sprinted into the resturant, with mother and brother trailing behind him. As soon as he walked in he saw his dad.

"Alex," Michael said. Alex smiled and to him. He gave his dad a hug.

"Mom told me as soon as you guys won," Michael explained. "I'm proud of you."

Alex thaked his dad and begged everyone to sit down and eat. They had a dinner of champions. They laughed, chatted, and played random resturant games. Alex's mind quickly left the storm. Right as the family was getting ready to leave, Alex felt a deep pressure in his chest.

"I gotta take a piss," he said. He went to the men's restroom and locked the door. He went over to the toilet and began doing his buisness. When he was finished, he flushed and went to wash his hands.

That's when the lights went out. Alex jumped and started shaking, but realized that it was just a power outage from the storm. He tried to find the doorknob in the dark, but had some trouble. He eventually found it and touched the handle. It was ice cold. Alex recolied his hand like a snake away from the handle. It was then that Alex stopped. He wasn't sure why he stopped. Some sort of sixth sense in Alex began working overtime. He didn't move, yell, or try the door handle. He was just standing there in the darkness. He began to sweat and wondered why he didn't try the doorknob again. But he knew. He knew the moment the lights went out. Alex heard a tiny rustle in the air and finally admitted to himself. Something was in the darkness with him !

That's when the lights turned on. Alex turned, screaming and punching at whatever was in there with him. His hand hit something and it fell back, crashing against the wall. Alex did a double take and screamed even louder. It was a Shadow creature from his dream. Alex didn't wait for the thing to recover. He was bursting with so much adrenilene that he kicked the bathroom door down with one kick. He shot out of the bathroom, scaring all the other customers in Applebees. He didn't care. He just wanted to get away.

He ran outside where it was thundering, as if God himself was angry at humanity or rather Alex. He ran to the car and opened it surprising the Bane family.

"Start the car now !," Alex screamed.

"Alex what's going on ?," his dad asked.

"Creatures from hell coming. After me. Can't explain, just haul ass Dad," Alex exclaimed. His dad was about to ask more questions before he looked outside the window.

It appeared as a black spot in the ground. All of a sudden two yellow eyes popped out of the hole. This thing morphed into a creature. Michael didn't ask questions. He pressed on the gas and ran over the small creature. He got the car out of Applebees and began to journey home as fawst as he could. No one said any thing on the way there. Each of them were all too petrified to answer. Sean looked over to his brother who looked like death. Alex had turned completely pale and he was muttering something. He put his hand around Alex whispering,"Its gonna be okay."

Up until now, Alex had listened to everyone about the dreams. He had dismissed them as dreams and nothing more. He said he didn't believe in shadow creatures. But Alex had know all along that he was just kidding himself. No one has a dream like that. that dream was way too real to be just a dream. It was a warning. He wasn't sure what these shadow creatures wanted with him and he didn't want to find out.

Michael drove the car to their house. Everyone ran out. As soon as they got in the house, they began locking doors, shutting windows, anything to keep those creatures out of the house. Alex knew it wouldn't do any good. If his dream actually happened, then these things could melt in the ground.

"Alex you said you knew what those things were," Rachel said. "What are they ?"

"They are the creatures from my dream Mom," Alex explained."They tried to kill me in my dreams and they are trying to kill me again."

"But how is that even possible ?," Sean asked. "This isn't happening, it just can't. These things only happen movies."

"All I know is that they are out there," Alex explained." I don't know what they want. But if you guys want to survive then listen okay. They can come through the floor and they have claws. They aren't that big. But still be careful."

Alex turned around just in time to see his dad holding a shotgun. His dad was a big fan of hunting. He collected guns for it. He never thought he would actually use it to fight Shadows. Alex grabbed a baseball bat from his room. Sean grabbed a golf club. Rachel grabbed an iron skillet.

None of them dared to look outside. They heard noises though. Rustles against the grass, whispering of some sort, and thunder. They were in the main entrance of the house. the house had three floors. The basement, the main floor, and the upstairs where everyone slept. The main room was a wide open area, with stairs on the right and furniture on the left. A doorway led to the kitchen which had a table where everyone ate at.

Soon, there wasn't any sound at all outside. The entire family held their breath. It had stopped thundering. Alex got up slowly and inched towards the front door. He moved a step at a time. Sean signaled for him to come back, but he kept going. He reached the door. With shaking hands, he grabbed the handle and pulled the door wide open. He raised his bat ready to strike at anything that came out at him. But nothing did. All he heard was the howl of the wind. It sounded like a werewolf. Alex backed away into the house and shut the door.

"Whew. I think they are gone," Alex exclaimed. His family gave out a huge sigh.

The lights in the house went out. Everyone jumped and said nothing in the darkness.

"Well I thought this might happen, so I brought these," Michael said. He pointed to the floor. He had brought flashlights.

Each family member grabbed one and turned it on. They waved their flashlights everywhere, trying to see if anything was by them. They couldn't find anything. Then they heard a crash upstairs that made everyone jump. Alex realized what he had to do and he took no comfort in it. He started up the stairs. He heard his dad whispering to not go uo there, but Alex pressed on. Alex got to the hallway that connected all of their bedrooms. He held the flashlight in his left hand, bat in his right. He walked slowly. He felt as if he was going through a haunted house. Ony difference was that the monsters really tried to kill you. He was breathing deeply, trying to get a hlod of his nerves.

He entered his room. He shined his flashlight everywhere. The faint glow from his computer helped to see better. He reached for his closet door, ready to strike. Alex opened it and started swinging the bat. But there was nothing in it. The closet was empty. He turned around and shut the door with his foot.

Rachel, Sean, and Michael were waiting for Alex to come down the stairs.

"I'm going up there," Michael declared and started up the stairs.

"Don't. We need to guard this section of the house. If all of us are upstairs, then they could get in unnoticed," Sean explained.

"He's right Michael. Alex will come back," Rachel said, only she didn't sound that convinced.

The sound of stairs creaking alerted the Banes and they turned around. It was Alex.

"Oh Alex, thank God," Rachel ran to Alex and hugged him.

"Is anything up there ?," Michael asked.

"No, nothing is up there. The crash was just my alarm clock falling," Alex explained.

"That didn't sound like an alarm clock," Sean said, sounding suspicious.

"That's all it was. I wouldn't worry about it," Alex said.

"Did your digital alarm clock break ?," Sean asked.

"No, it was fine," Alex replied. He started walking toward the front door.

"Alex, your alarm clock isn't digital !" Sean exclaimed.

Alex stopped walking. The Banes didn't know what was going on. Alex began to turn of his heel. He faced his family. Alex threw the flashlight on the ground. The flashlight broke with a smash.

"Alex, what the hell are you doing ?" Michael asked.

"I have to show you something," Alex said. The family was beginning to get worried."Don't be scared.'

Alex turned around again. He began to scratch his face. The Banes started to have a bad feeling about all of this. Alex stopped. He turned around slowly to show what he did.

"Just tell yourself that its a dream," Alex said in a voice that wasn't his. It was deeper and full of malice." Or a nightmare."

He turned around fully and the entire Bane family screamed. Alex was grinning maniacally and his eyes were bright yellow !

The real Alex was still upstairs. He heard the scream and sprinted downstairs as fast as he could. When he reached the bottom, he stopped in shock. There was his family surrounded by Shadows and the figure that seemed to be leading them was him. It was as if he was staring into a mirror. This Alex had the same clothes, shoes and hairstyle. This Alex also had yellow eyes, an evil grin, and swagger that showed that he was full of himself.

"Welcome Alex," the evil clone said. "It is so nice to finally meet you. Not nice for you that is."

"Who the hell are you ?," Alex screamed. "Let my family go.

"To answer the second question, I'm gonna have to say no," the clone laughed."To answer your first question, I'm you. Or rather your shadow. Doesn't that sound interesting ?"

"I don't give a crap who you are, " Alex exclaimed. "Let my family go you bastard...who most definitely is not me."

"Man you aren't that bright are you," the clone exclaimed. "Well they said you wouldn't be."

"Who the hell are you talking about ?," Alex asked. "Answer me, who ?"

"No no no, I'm not gonna give anything away," the clone said. "Firstly, because I hate giving spoilers this early in the game. Second, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you. And third, you aren't gonna live long enough to figure that out. Kill him my Shadows !"

The Shadows lept at Alex with great ferocity. Alex swung the baseball bat with all his might. He dodged the claws of one Shadow and turned around to whack it. The Shadow exploded against the might of Alex's swinging skills. He swung the bat at the ground, trying to hit the Shadows like little bugs. The Shadows would just melt into the ground. This time Alex was ready. He waited about five seconds before he twisted around and swung. He had timed it perfectly. The strike squashed the Shadow that tried to ambush him. At this point, Alex's family joined in the fight. Sean wacked the creatures right and left yelling "Fore" with his golf club. Rachel wreaked havoc among the Shadows by knocking them out with the iron skillet. Michael did the most damage with the shotgun. He shot one in the air, reloaded like a pro, and hit a Shadow with the butt of the shotgun.

All this time, the dark Alex just stood there watching. He was smiling, as if he enjoyed watching Alex destroy his minions. As Alex finished off the last of the Shadows, he turned toward Dark Alex.

"How'd you like that ?" Alex asked in a mocking sort of way.

"Well I have to say that I am impressed," he said in way that was almost sincere. "You are quite the Partridge Family...if the Partridge Family kicked demon ass instead of sang. Well done all of you."

Just then, the front door to the house opened and Ashley stepped inside.

"Alex I was wondering if-,".

She didn't finish the sentence. She saw Alex and his famliy, who looked like they had gone through a war zone, and she saw another Alex who had a really weird eye problem.

"Well well well, what have we here ?," Dark Alex licked his lips. "If it isn't the tasty girlfriend."

Before anyone could respond, Dark Alex, with the speed of light, grabbed Ashley and pulled her to him.

"Let her go you son of a bitch!" Alex yelled.

"Temper temper," Dark Alex tutted. " You should really get that looked at Alex. Bad words aren't gonna get you anywhere with me. After all, sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."

"Look, just let her go," Alex held out his hands with tears in his eyes."I'll give you anything you want. You want me, I'll come with you."

Dark Alex just looked at him with playful glee in his eyes.

"Please," Alex pleaded.

"You think I'm here to kidnap you?," Dark Alex asked. "Oh you have got it wrong there Alex my friend. I told you that I was here to kill you. But suddenly I've had a change of heart. I'm not gonna kill you."

Alex let out a sigh of relief. Ashley looked relieved, for she was about to be let go.

"I've decided that making you suffer sounds a lot more fun," Dark Alex laughed.

What happened next would haunt Alex forever. Dark Alex let go of Ashley, raised his fist up, and punched his whole arm through her body. Alex just stood there not believing what was happening. Ashley wasn't dead, but she was in considerable pain. It felt like the evil Alex was sucking her entire soul out of her body. Ashley's body lit up until Dark Alex took his arm out of her body. In his hand was a sparkling, pink and red object. It was pointed at the bottom and had two humps on the left and right sides. Alex couldn't believe it, but he knew what it was. It was a heart. Not the blood-pumping organ, but the part of the heart that makes you who you are. Ashley's body fell to the ground in a heap. She moved no more. Dark Alex took the heart and seemed to absorb it into his body.

"My that was tasty," Dark Alex licked his lips again.

Alex lost it. He screamed at the top of his lungs and rushed at his evil twin. Dark Alex simply smiled at this and punched Alex right in the gut. The punch sent Alex slamming into the back wall. He had trouble breathing. This is just like when that monster punched me, Alex thought.

"Did that hurt Alex ?," the clone asked, not caring if it did. "Well good, so will this."

Dark Alex ran over to Sean Bane and without hesitaion punched his arm through and began sucking his heart out. Alex saw this, but he couldn't move. He was in too much pain.

"Watch how easy it is for someone's light to be snuffed out," Dark Alex said, as he sucked the heart out of Sean.

Sean turned to Alex. With his last breath he spoke," Alex, don't give into this bastard. Don't give up you hear me. Never give up."

Sean Bane fell to the ground, dead. Rachel screamed and rushed Dark Alex.

"Oh now this is just getting hilarious," he said. He performed the same thing he did to Sean. Soon enough, Rachel Bane fell to the ground, dead as well.

Dark Alex began laughing hysterically. That is until he was shot in the back. The shot knocked him off his feet and he landed on his back. He looked up to see Michael Bane staring straight down at him with a gun in his hand. The expression on his face was enough to give Dark Alex chills. He pointed the gun at the murderous scumbag.

"This is for my family," he said before he pulled the trigger.

"And this is for my own amusement," Dark Alex grinned. He kicked Michael with his legs and caught the shotgun. He twirled the gun in his hand like and expert and with one final twirl, shot Michael Bane in the chest. He was dead before he even hit the floor.

Dark Alex threw the shotgun and faced Alex.

"Well now wasn't that fu-,"

Alex was no longer there. Dark Alex did a quick look around, but couldn't find him.

Where did that little bastard go, he thought.

Suddenly, he heard the starting of a car outside. He grinned and ran towards the door. He got there just in time to see the Bane's convertable speeding off to the highway with Alex inside of it.

"Oh, so its a chase you want is it Alex ? Well bring it on," Dark Alex exclaimed. He summoned the rest of his Shadows. He began to command them to do something. The little Shadows began to pile on top of each other. Each took different positions. The Shadows were molding. First, it was a clump. Then, the clump became a seat. Shadows on the front end and back began to attatch themselves in a circular fashion. Shadows on top made themselves very thin until two poles stuck out horizontally. The Shadows had become a motorcycle. Dark Alex got in the seat, started it up, and shot out to the highway in pursuit of Alex Bane.

Alex had known how to drive since he was six. His dad started taking him out to drive, saying that kids started learning too late. Alex had thought that was cool behind the wheel. By the time he was thirteen, Alex was a very good driver. Now he was going to have to use those skills to fight for his life. His foot was nailed to the gas. He had speeded through his neighborhood and entered the city. Skyscrapers towered over him. He felt like the whole world was closing in on him. He kept checking the mirrors to make sure those things weren't following him. It had started to rain. It was a rainy Sunday, so there weren't that many cars out on the road. Alex kept replaying the images of Ashley and his family dying right before his eyes. He had no emotion running through him. He just felt dead on the inside.

Alex's windshield shattered. He swerved on the road in surprise. The rain didn't help much either. He looked at his mirror. He saw Dark Alex coming after him on a motorcycle. One hand on the handlebars, one hand on a shotgun. This one was crafted from the Shadows as well. It also didn't have to reload.

"There you are Alex," the evil twin shouted through the rain."You are more resourceful than I thought. Let's dance shall we ?"

He sped the motorcycle up to catch up with the speeding convertable. Alex decided to take drastic measures and made a hard right turn. Alex narrowly dodged a car on the left lane and got back on the right.

Dark Alex saw the car coming. Instead of dodging it, he rushed the car straight on. Just as he was about to hit the car, he pulled up on the handlebars and did a wheelie. This allowed the cycle to ride on top of the car and go off the other side.

Alex couldn't believe what just happened and he didn't have time too. The cycle was catching up to him. Dark Alex started shooting the car. Alex had to duck to dodge the shots from the shotgun. His tailight was shot. One shot nearly got Alex. He felt the white-hot bullet tear his arm, but it didn't produce too much damage.

Alex performed more hard turns and was surprised that he hadn't thrown up by now. He didn't know how to get out of this maze of a city. Dark Alex pelted more shots at him. He swerved the car left and right, trying to not let the motorcycle pass. Alex realized that he couldn't outrun him. He was just going to have to defeat him. Alex looked ahead and saw a building with a glass lobby. He put his foot on the gas and shot towards the building. Dark Alex followed him diligently. He realized only a second before impact what Alex did. Alex ducked as he crashed through the glass building. His car jumped in the air a little. He got some cuts from the glass, but nothing too bad. Dark Alex got the short end of the stick by being on a motorcycle with no protection. The glass cut him on his fingers, legs, and face. He screamed as the glass cut him.

"Baaaaaaaannnne!," Dark Alex yelled his name as if it was poison to say it.

Alex grinned. He had hurt him. He crashed through the other side of the glass and continued onward through the city streets. Dark Alex decided that he had had enough of this game. He sped the motorcycle up so much that eventually he and Alex were side by side. Dark Alex pointed the shotgun to his right. Alex ducked as low as he could to dodge the shot. He countered by hitting the cycle with the car. The impact jolted Dark Alex, almost to the point of falling off the motorcycle. He turned the cycle slightly so that he was actually touching the car. He brought out his shotgun, but before he could fire a shot, Alex grabbed hold of the barrel. The two began a life or death game of tug of war. Dark Alex swung his fist to try to punch him off the shotgun, but Alex blocked it with his right arm. Dark Alex then pulled out a knife from his pants pocket and proceded to swing at Alex. Alex had to duck and keep his eyes on the road at the same time. There weren't any cars on the road now, but that could change in an instance. Dark Alex swung the knife again. This time Alex blocked his arm with the barrel of the shorgun. He got cut with the second strike. The third strike, he parried the blade with the metal barrel just by luck. As a last attempt, Alex let go of the wheel of the car and grabbed the barrel with both hands. He pulled it back as far as he could before pushing it forward and slamming it in Dark Alex's face.

Dark Alex fell off the motorcycle. The motorcycle exploded into black mist. Dark Alex just lay in the road, not getting up. Alex did a U-turn so he face the clone with the car. He stared at the person lying in the road with absolute hatred. Then he saw Dark Alex get up. He was pretty scratched up and his mouth was bleeding, but other than that he seemed fine. Alex couldn't believe this guy was still standing. He wouldn't be for long though. Alex started the car up again and decided to ram Dark Alex. That should kill him. The clone seemed to realize this and started to get a worried look on his face. A semi-trailer truck just rounded the corner to the back of Dark Alex. Alex pushed his foot on the gas and sped forward. The semi started forward too. Alex in the right lane, semi in the left, and Dark Alex in the middle. Dark Alex began to smile. Alex was thirty feet away from hitting the evil twin. But he never did hit. Dark Alex launched a fireball from his hands at the car. The fireball exploded on impact. Alex went flying forward up into the air. The car was right behind him. He was about to be hit by a car in the air. Someone grabbed his arm and pulled Alex out of the way of the car just inches above his head. Alex then fell on something and was starting to get tunnel vision. When he came to his senses, he realized that he fell on the trailer part of the semi. He couldn't believe his luck.

"It wasn't luck, it was me," Dark Alex explained. He was standing on the edge of the trailer. Rain whipped his face and cleaned the blood on his face.

"How the hell did you do that ?," Alex asked.

"I'm not normal Alex," he replied. "You aren't normal either. I know about the dreams. How do you think you survived so far ? My punch should have been enough to kill you. But it wasn't. You've gotten stronger. Do you know what I am talking about ?"

Alex did know. When he woke up after the dream he felt better than he had ever felt. He dominated at the game. Even then he felt the strength pooling through him. The punches hurt, but not enough to kill him. His reflexes were quicker too. How else could he have dodged a car going 90 mph in rain?

"This process that you went through that night was your Awakening," Dark Alex explained. "It only happens to a select few of people when they are ready. You become stronger, faster, and tougher. Don't think you can take on the world Alex. You are only at level 1 so to speak."

"Why did I go through an Awakening ?," Alex asked. "What do you mean when they are ready ?"

"You'll never live to find the answer," Dark Alex smirked. He began to walk toward Alex on the trailer. The semi truck was still moving for some reason. It was on the highway. Multiple viaducts were above and below Alex. Alex stood up with the rain stinging his face and his shirt flapping in the wind. The jeans he wore were soaked. The two Alexs stared at each other. Dark Alex suddenly got into a fighting stance.

"Show me what you've got Bane!," the clone declared and rushed Alex.

Alex had taken karate sice he was five years old. He had an older brother that wrestled him enough that he picked up a few moves. That was another reason bullies never picked on Alex. He knew how to fight. Alex raised his hands in front of his chest and spread his legs shoulder-width apart. The traditional fighting stance.

Dark Alex rushed at Alex with a punch. Alex blocked the blow with his left hand and punched with his right. The clone ducked and punched Alex in the gut. Alex countered with a front kick to the chest. The kick knocked Dark Alex on the metal of the trailer. Alex tried to stomp on the twin, but he rolled out of the way. Alex didn't give him much chance to recover. He tackled Dark Alex. The two slammed into the metal. Dark Alex got on top first and punched Alex in the face. Alex saw stars, but was so overcome by anger that it barely fazed him. Alex blocked the second punch and head butted his clone. The clone recoiled from the strike with a bloody nose. He kicked at Alex. Alex blocked the kick, but got a punch to the nose. Now both opponents had bloody noses.

These injuries didn't deter the opponents in any way. They fought on in the rain on top of the semi. Anyone who saw this fantastic brawl could not believe their eyes. Alex tried a jab to the twin's face. The twin blocked it before realizing that it was a fake. He got a punch in the gut for his mistake. Alex followed up with a front kick. Dark Alex caught the kick with both his hands. He heaved the leg straight up, which made Alex fall on his back. Dark Alex tried to tackle, but got a kick in the chest for doing so. Alex got up to narrowly duck a jab from Dark Alex. Alex punched. Dark Alex brushed it aside with his left hand and backhanded Alex with the right.

Alex dodged an axe kick from the clone which hit the metal with a clang. Alex grabbed one of Dark Alex's punches, using the momentum of the punch to trip Dark Alex to the ground. Alex fell on his evil other and began delivering punches to his face. Dark Alex's face became bloodier with each punch. He ended that by eventually rolling Alex off of him and getting a second wind. Alex swung his fist wildly catching his clone on the side of the head. He followed up with a side kick to the thigh. Dark Alex growled in pain, but got his chance at revenge by spinning his body completely around and hitting Alex in the face with a crescent kick. The kick made Alex fall to the ground. His face feeling like it had been hit by the semi truck he was on.

"Really good Alex. Man I'm impressed," Dark Alex said. "No one has ever given me a beating like that before. But I guess that's just because you are me. I am you. We are equals."

"I'm not like you," Alex gritted his teeth. "You killed my family and my girl. I will never let that pass do you understand me ? I will kill you and that is a promise. We aren't equals in any way. You are my reflection in a freakin cracked mirror."

"Oh Alex Alex Alex, we are so much more than just physical resemblances," Dark Alex said. "And I am going to give you the chance to find out why. I was going to kill you, but you're just too much damn fun."

"What the hell does that mean?," Alex asked.

Dark Alex just grinned. He held out his hands to the sky and a bright beam of light shot down from the heavens onto Alex. Alex had know idea what was going on. He started to feel a pulling sensation. Like the beam was pulling him toward the sky.

"What the hell are you doing?," Alex asked.

"Let's just say, I'm gonna show you a whole new world," Dark Alex snapped his fingers and disappered.

The beam of light began pulling and pulling. Alex tried to grab hold of something, but all he got was wet metal. Alex screamed as the beam pulled him into the sky, leading him to God-knows-where, and before he knew it, Alex saw nothing.


	4. A Whole New World

Chapter 4: A Whole New World

He felt the sand beneath his body. The sand felt familiar somehow. It wasn't grainy, rocky sand. It was smooth, comfortable sand. Alex Bane opened his eyes. He was lying face down. He stared at the sand. The sand was white with a hint of brown. He knew where he had seen this sand before. Alex slowly stood up. He closed his eyes. Scared of what he might see. He eventually opened them and gasped.

He was here. The place from his dream, only this time he knew he was truly there, not in some nightmare. He looked out at the ocean. Sparkling blue and calm, just like he remembered. He ran to the water's edge. He stared down at his reflection. His face was still bloody and cut from his brawl with Dark Alex. His entire body ached and he wished he hadn't had stood up. He didn't know how he got there. The last thing he remembered was a beam of light pulling him into the sky.

Alex started to cry. His family was dead, his girlfriend was dead, he looked like a human punching bag, and he wasn't even sure where he was. He just sat there on the beach, crying his eyes out. He cursed Dark Alex with every single cuss word he knew. He punched the sand in anger. He knew it wouldn't bring anyone back from the dead, but it still felt good. He then had an urge to explore his surroundings a little bit more. He turned around and finally realized that he was on an island. A strange island at that.

The layout was like nothing Alex had ever seen. Right in the middle of the island was an enormous tree. Alex had to raise his eyes up to see the top. A series of platforms were jutting out of the tree. Alex guessed this was so people could reach the top of the tree. This road of platforms was wooden, which meaned that someone built them. Alex gulped. That means that people actually do live here. He hoped they weren't cannibals. That would be bad. The road of platforms started to the left of the tree. Even farther left were two smaller trees. They were separated by a wooden platform with wooden railings. Alex recognized that as the platform where those weird kids asked him questions. One of the trees was in the water. A little closer to Alex was a dock. The dock was wooden too. It was about six feet off the ground and twenty feet across. Alex knew that it must be where whoever lived here parked their ships. To the right of the gigantic tree, was a little waterfall coming out of the rock. It emptied into a little pool that had the same blue water in it. Even farther back was what looked to be a crack in the bottom of the tree. It seemed to be the entrance to a small cave. Even farther to the right was a small wooden shack. Alex figured the purpose would be to hide from rain and it was a passage to a rock platform higher up. The small rock platform had small trees that blew in the wind. Starting from this platform was another wooden road, like the dock. This one was bigger and lead to a little plateau that jutted out of the water. This plateau was circular, but the most outstanding feature of it was the tree. The plateau had many trees, but the one on its side was leaning horizontally, parallel to the ground. Alex wondered how it got in the position. It looked like it would be a nice place to take a nap. The beach reached further out and Alex walked under the bridge connecting the plateau and the rocks. There was a rock wall. At the bottom of it, was a wooden door, which led somewhere.

Alex took all of this in. This place was incredible. He couldn't see how people lived here though. He saw no signs of life. The only house he saw was the shack and it wasn't big enough to be a house. He started to hyperventilate. He became dizzy and lost his balance. He just couldn't deal with all of this. He felt a pressure in his chest and he threw up. He knew he was going to faint.

"Hey, are you okay?" Alex turned his head. He saw some figures getting out of boats. He started to run away. He didn't get very far because he threw up again.

No! I don't want to be eaten. I like my body, Alex thought.

He lay on his back, no energy left in his body. He saw the figures coming and closed his eyes. He waited for the end.

"Hey are you all right?" Alex looked up and gasped.

There were two kids about his age. One of them looked like he had a porcupine on his head. His hair was brown and spiky. He had a gentle face, thin arms, and was wearing shorts and a white tee shirt. The other one stood out to Alex the most. This kid had long aqua blue hair, tall, and muscular. It was the same kid from Alex's dream.

Alex began to pass out. Just before he lost consciousness, he blurted out the first thing in his mind.

"You guys got great hair," Alex passed out.

Alex woke up this time on a nice comfortable bed. He could hear the sound of the water going back and forth. It was just as peaceful as he remembered. He opened his eyes slightly. He saw that he was in a small room. The room had a red carpet that looked hand-woven. Alex got out from under the covers. He wasn't wearing anything.

Who the hell undressed me, he thought.

He shook that disturbing thought out of his head. He went over to a small wooden dresser to pick out some clothes. He chose a white tee shirt and khaki shorts. He found his sneakers near the bed. They looked brand new, like someone washed them. Alex found some clean socks and put his shoes on.

The house was made out of white brick. Alex guessed that the bricks were made from the sand because they were the same color. He went into the main room, being careful to look around corners in case he was a prisoner. No one was in the house. Alex found that to be a bit odd. He would have at least thought there would be guards preventing him from leaving. Alex opened the front door and stepped outside.

The breeze felt like silk on Alex's skin. He could feel the faint heat of the sun on him. The sky was a mix of red, orange, and pink. It looked like the sky had been painted with liquid fire. It was sunset. It was exactly like the dream. Alex smiled at the sight of it. He wished his family could be here with him to see this. Alex immediately tried to think of something else. Those images were still fresh in his mind and he didn't want to appear as a blubbering fool.

He was standing on green grass. The grass was only centimeters tall. All around him were houses just like the one he was in. The grass was part of hilly fields that seemed to stretch on forever. He could see mountains in the distance. This island must be pretty big. Alex turned away from the mountains to look ahead. He saw the beach. The beach was divided from the grass and homes by a white picket fence. He saw a dock just like the one he had seen earlier. He even saw a couple of wooden boats.

Are these guys cavemen? he thought. Do they have no technology at all?

He looked out at the ocean and saw something that made him gasp. It was the island he was on when he first got here. It was out farther in the ocean.

So that's why that island had a dock, Alex thought. He realized that he must be on the bigger part of this small archipelago.

He heard a commotion on the beach. He turned to see a group of kids. Three of the kids seemed to be ganging up on one other kid. Alex decided to take a closer look. When he got closer his jaw dropped, but at the same time he had been expecting it. The three main bullies were the same kids who had asked him those weird questions in his dream. The sandy-blond haired one was wearing a white and yellow jacket that exposed his muscular chest. He had on blue shorts and was holding a red stick that was curved at the top. The girl with curly hair was wearing a yellow dress that came down just above her knees. She was wielding two small two-by-fours that were connected by a short rope. Alex recognized the weapon from karate class. Nunchuks. Alex thought that was kinda hot. The last kid was the one with the hair gel lock. He was wearing a white muscle shirt, yellow baggy pants, and was holding what looked like a volleyball. It appeared to Alex to be a random act of bullying. He decided that he might as well make a first impression by stopping them and ran down the beach.

"Look just give us your lunch money and no one's gonna get hurt," the sandy blond haired kid said.

"Tidus, I swear I'll have the money by tomorrow," the scared kid said.

"You said that yesterday," Tidus said. "I'm beginning to think that you are holding out on us. What do you think Selphie?"

The girl Selphie answered,"I think we need to teach this creep how the rules play around here. What do you think Wakka?"

The other boy Wakka answered,"I totally agree, ya. This punk needs to learn who's boss. Why don't we teach him, ya?" Wakka had some sort of Caribbean accent.

"No, please don't," the boy pleaded.

"Hey hold it right there you jerks!" Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie turned around to see Alex. "Why don't you leave this guy alone? Don't you have anything better to do with your time, like educating yourself with pop-up books?"

"Who the hell are you?" Tidus asked.

"He's that guy they found on the beach," Wakka answered.

"Wow he's cute," Selphie grinned at Alex. Alex grinned back.

"Why don't you move along, ya," Wakka said. "This is none of your business."

"Ya, it is," Alex said in Wakka's accent.

"This guy is starting to get on my nerves," Tidus gritted his teeth. "Why don't we teach this punk how the rules go around here?"

"Well I'm sure the rules don't include taking advantage of littler kids. This stops right now," Alex declared.

"Oooooh, I like confidence," Selphie grinned.

"That's it punk," Tidus growled, pulling out his stick. "I'm tired of you talking. Let's fight."

"You're getting tired of me talking," Alex mocked. "Should I use smaller words? Ooo wait, we can talk this over. I know how to communicate with you. After all I'm fluent in the three languages you speak. Which one should I go with: idiot, nicompoop, or my personal favorite, dumbass?

That was enough for Tidus. He ran at Alex, raising his stick. Alex got into a fighting stance. Tidus swung the stick. Alex stepped to the side, narrowly dodging the stick. He ducked a horizontal strike from Tidus. Tidus struck vertically, but it was a fake and Alex got whacked in the stomach. Alex blocked a blow with his arm, which stung and jabbed Tidus in the mouth. Tidus growled and came at Alex even angrier. He knocked Alex on his back and threw himself at him. Alex caught Tidus with his arms and legs and used his momentum to somersault Tidus completely over him. Tidus landed on his back with a whoosh. Alex got to his feet only to be hit in the face with something.

Alex fell on this back, thinking that he had been clotheslined by The Rock. It turned out to be Wakka's volleyball.

"That was a good hit,ya," Wakka grinned.

"Dude, didn't anyone tell you that volleyball is for girls," Alex mocked.

"This isn't a volleyball. It's a blitzball," Wakka explained. "It's the greatest sport ever invented."

"Sounds like a game my cousins made up in the backyard,"Alex said.

Wakka obviously took offense to someone insulting blitzball. He threw the ball at Alex again. This time Alex saw it coming. Instead of dodging it, he caught it.

"Oh I'm sorry did you need this?" Alex asked.

Alex got cracked on the head by Tidus' stick. Alex had forgotten about him. He blocked another strike with the blitzball and kicked it at Tidus. The ball caught Tidus right in the gut and he felt all the breath leave him.

"GOAL!" Alex yelled.

Tidus recovered faster than Alex anticipated and punched Alex in the jaw. Alex fell back only to be hit in the side with the ball again. Wakka was back in. Now he was getting double teamed. Alex dodged Wakka's ball and rolled on the ground to dodge Tidus. He swung his legs out which swept Tidus' legs out from under him. He grabbed Tidus' stick.

"Not so good when the shoe's on the other foot is it," Alex smiled.

Tidus just grinned. He ran forward and Alex was ready for anything he did. He wasn't ready for Tidus to defy the laws of gravity. Tidus ran forward and did a backflip, kicking Alex right in the face. Alex was launched backwards and was hit in the gut by Wakka's ball. He had taken alot of damage in just two seconds. Tidus caught the stick in the air, grinning. He rushed at Alex and swung down. This time Alex did something Tidus didn't expect. Alex did a backward somersault, dodging the stick by inches, launched off the sand and hit Tidus with a double punch. Tidus was caught completely off guard and flew backwards. Alex stood there wondering how in the hell he had done that. Was this what his clone was talking about?

"Hey kid from the beach!"

Alex turned to see the kid who they were pestering.

"Give them hell for me okay," the kid said and threw something to Alex. It was a wooden sword. Alex gripped the circular handle. Now he had a weapon.

"Oh wow, you have a sword," Tidus got back up. "Bet you can't use it.

Tidus had a point. Alex wasn't a student of swordplay. But somehow, the sword felt good in his hands. He felt confident with it.

Tidus leaped at Alex, eager to get this fight over with, but was surprised when Alex blocked with the sword. Alex countered with a vertical strike. Their blades cracked with each and every blow. Alex lunged. Tidus blocked. Alex quickly flicked the sword and cut Tidus' face. He smiled in victory, but was hit in the head by wood. He turned around to see that Selphie had joined in too. Now he was triple teamed. Selphie whipped the nunchuks at Alex. Alex blocked a strike, but was hit in the side with another. She swung at his legs. He jumped, but was hit by the other wooden part. Selphie changed her grip by swinging one side of the nunchuks in the air like a whip. Alex dodged and blocked her strikes. He ducked one and was then tackled from behind by Tidus. The two rolled on the ground. Tidus whacked Alex, only to be kicked in the chest. Alex batted away Wakka's ball and stuck his sword in the sand. He thrust it upward which threw sand in Wakka's face. Alex then rushed him and tackled Wakka. Wakka delivered an elbow strike to Alex's face. Alex rolled over quickly, dodging another strike from Tidus. He got hit on the head by Selphie and her other strike wrapped the nunchuk around the sword. She pulled with all her might. The sword fell out of Alex's hands. Alex tried to get it but was blocked by Tidus. Tidus dodged Alex's sidekick and hit him in the face. Alex retreated to the edge of the water.

"Yeah, that's right. Run you coward," Tidus yelled.

The three had Alex backed up into a corner. He didn't go in the water. He was about to be pummeled by these bullies.

Alex realized right then that he had been going about this all wrong. He had been trying to defeat these guys with his own weapons. It was then that he realized that his weapons were standing right in front of him. He was going to turn their weapons against them. Alex prayed that the power that was in him would help. Alex closed his eyes and concentrated. It was there! He felt the power.

Wakka threw his ball at Alex. Alex caught the ball, but didn't stop there. He twisted his body all the way around and threw the ball at Tidus with great strength. The ball hit Tidus straight in the groin. Tidus managed to let out a high pitched squeal before passing out. Wakka stood there looking dumbfounded, but retrieved his weapon. Alex quickly ran and picked up Tidus' stick. Wakka threw the ball at him once more. Alex didn't catch it this time. He used the stick like a baseball bat. He sent the ball straight back to Wakka. It hit right in the face. Wakka was down for the count. Selphie swung her nunchucks. Alex caught one side, quickly wrapped it around his arm, and tugged. The force sent the other side and Selphie toward him. He grabbed Selphie and pulled her to his face.

"Now you wouldn't hurt me would you," Selphie smiled playfully.

"No I would never hurt you," Alex said. He decided he'd take a reward for his troubles. He pulled Selphie closer and kissed her. Selphie didn't object and threw her arms around him. They kissed violently for about half a minute before Alex pulled away on account of his mouth was aching.

"Oh my," Selphie whispered. "You're pretty good."

"You're not so bad yourself," Alex smiled, right before hitting her head with the butt of the stick.

"I never said anything about not knocking you out," Alex laughed.

He looked around at the unconscious bodies of the three bullies. Alex had tapped into the power that lay within him. He wanted to say that the reason he fought them was out of good intentions. But he couldn't fool himself. The reason he engaged in that fight was because he was angry. At them, Dark Alex, angry at the world. He didn't enjoy what he just did. He kissed Selphie just for the hell of it. He didn't even enjoy that. Ashley was still fresh in his mind. He started to cry and walked away.

* * *

The very next day someone came to visit Alex. He had just woken up and was getting ready for a day of not coming out of the house when someone knocked on the door. Alex went to the door and opened it. It was the blue haired kid from the dream. He was wearing a yellow and black muscle shirt, blue baggy pants, and blue and white sneakers.

"Hi. Can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure," Alex replied. He stepped away from the door to let the boy in.

"I gotta say, you are one strange character," the boy said, smiling. This coming from the guy who has long, blue hair, Alex thought.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"You show up on our beach half-dead," the boy started. "The very next day you defeat Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie in a full on brawl which nobody has been able to do before. Except me of course."

Alex was starting to get the feeling that this kid was a bit full of himself. His way of talking was similar to that of Dark Alex. He didn't like it.

"They had it coming," Alex growled.

"Oh I don't doubt it, " the boy said. "Those guys can get pretty annoying. But now that you've beaten them, I don't think they'll be doing something like that again. You should feel proud."

"More like sick to my stomach," Alex replied.

"They said that you pulled some crazy moves out there," the boy said. "Do you think you can show me?"

"I kinda just winged it," Alex replied truthfully.

"It doesn't matter," the boy said. "The real reason I came over here is because I want to know the answer that everyone wants to hear. Who are you and how did you get here?

Alex of course wasn't going to tell the truth. The kid would look at him like he was crazy. So he decided to lie.

"I don't know. I've lost any memory I had," Alex said. "All I do remember is my name for some reason. It's Alex. Alex Bane."

"Well, nice to meet you Alex," the kid said. "My name is Riku." For some reason the kid looked disappointed. As if Alex held some great secret that he couldn't get too.

"Come with me," Riku said. "I'll give you the grand tour."

Alex agreed and the two of them set off. Riku said he needed to meet up with someone first. Alex followed Riku to a house not too far away from Alex's. Riku knocked on the door.

"Hello," Riku yelled. "Sora get your butt out here."

Sora turned out to be the spiky headed kid that was with Riku when Alex was found. He was wearing a black and white jacket that was blue on the inside. He wore a red shirt underneath it and red shorts with a blue belt around it. He wore black and yellow sneakers that looked way too big for him. He wore a necklace around his neck which was a silver chain attached to a silver crown. Alex thought that to be a strange medallion, but he didn't ask questions. He gave Alex a cheery smile that gave Alex the impression that this guy smiled a lot.

"You're the guy from the beach aren't you?" Sora asked.

"The name's Alex Bane," he said. "Nice to meet you Sora."

"So are we gonna take him on the grand tour or what Riku?" Sora asked, excitedly. Riku just rolled his eyes. To Sora that meant yes.

"Okay let's go," he said.

"Wait," Alex said. "Before we do anything, I just need to know, what is this place?"

"This Alex," Sora said. "is Destiny Islands." The name seemed somewhat appropriate to Alex.

"It's a regular paradise on Earth," Sora smiled.

"It does get boring sometimes though," Riku sighed.

"Don't listen to Riku," Sora whispered. "He thinks he's too cool to have fun. But even he has a good time here. He just won't admit it."

Alex believed Sora on that. Riku did look like the kind of person who thought he was too cool to do stuff.

"Let's take him to meet Master Zangan," Sora suggested. Riku shrugged which meant yes.

The three of them began the trip to Zangan's place. Along the way, Alex got to learn a little bit more about his new friends. Riku was 13. Sora was 12. The both of them loved sword fights. They trained once a day. Apparently, Riku was the better one although Sora refused to admit it. The two of them had been best friends since the day they were born. They were as close as brothers. Alex asked who Master Zangan was.

"He's our master," Riku replied.

Alex took that as an insult to his intelligence, but didn't say anything. The three of them continued through the hilly fields until they came to a huge one story house. It looked like something out of a kung-fu movie. Sora walked up to the door and knocked. The door opened. Master Zangan was a young Chinese man that wore a robe and a baseball cap on his head. Alex thought those two things kinda clashed.

"Sora, Riku," Zangan smiled. "Welcome. And who is your friend?"

"Alex Bane sir," Alex replied.

"Ah," Zangan said. "The boy who washed up on the beach. Curious indeed. And you have brought him to me, why?"

"Zangan," Riku began. "Alex defeated Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka three on one yesterday. They told me that he pulled some really crazy moves out there. We were wondering if you might like to examine him."

"I see," Zangan nodded. "And you also think that I could help with his memory."

"Yeah," Sora finished.

"Very well," he said. "Alex come with me."

Alex looked at Sora and Riku. They gave him reassuring smiles. He gulped and entered the house. The house glowed orange and was made out of the same white rock. He followed Zangan through some hallways until they entered a wide room. The room had smooth wooden floors. It also housed many weapons leaning against the walls.Swords, spears, you name it.

"This is a dojo," Zangan said. "It is where I train my students."

Alex recognized the look of the room from his own karate class. Zangan pulled out a wooden sword and tossed it to Alex. Alex recognized this as well. It was called a bokken, a wooden sword that was used for training. This one was in the shape of a katana. Zangan drew his own.

"Whoa, hold on a second," Alex said. "When they said examine, I had no idea they meant fight."

"Do not worry Bane," Zangan said. " This is but a test of skill. I will not hurt you. Just come at me with all you have." He held the sword in a stance.

Alex didn't see any way to get out of this so he decided to grant his request and charged.

Their wooden swords cracked. Alex lunged with the bokken. Zangan performed a simple parry. Alex brought the sword to his face to block Zangan's bokken. Alex pushed the sword off and slashed. Zangan blocked, but it was a fake. Alex quickly changed the sword's direction and headed for the legs. To his surprise, Zangan blocked that one too. Alex swung the sword wildly. Zangan blocked each and every strike. Alex lunged again. Zangan brought the sword under Alex's and thrust it upward so Alex lost his balance. Alex fell on the dojo. Zangan just waited patiently for him to get up. Alex knew why they called him master. He could block any strike thrown at him. He decided to play a little more defensively this time around.

This time Alex waited for Zangan to come to him. Zangan swung his sword, with the speed of a tiger. If it wasn't for Alex's heightened reflexes, he would have been whacked long ago. Alex parried the blow and countered with an upward slash. Zangan blocked horizontally and jabbed at Alex's face. Alex actually saw the blow coming and caught it with his left hand. Zangan quickly twisted out of that and tried to hit Alex with a crescent kick. Alex wasn't going to fall for the same thing Dark Alex did. He ducked the kick. Dark Alex! That was the reason he was here. The images of his dead family began to run through his mind. Alex gritted his teeth. He became angrier and angrier. He screamed and charged at Zangan. Zangan leaped back in surprise. Alex's blows came even quicker this time. Zangan dodged two lunges to his face, flicked aside another, and ducked a horizontal slash.

Zangan could always tell the state of the opponent from the look in his eyes. Alex was not in a good state at all. He could see that there was a lot of pain behind Alex's eyes. Something in his past. He blocked a front kick from Alex and hit him in the chest with his palm. Alex went flying across the dojo. He slid across the floor on his back. His sword went flying out of his hand. Zangan had beaten him. Alex took some deep breaths. He had really lost it back there. Zangan offered Alex a hand. He took it.

"I sense much pain in you Alex," Zangan said. "And I can also sense much anger."

Alex knew he was right.

"Alex if you want," Zangan began. "I can teach you how to control your anger and confront your fears head on with a clean conscience. You are gifted in the art of combat, but you still have a long way to go. I can teach you that too."

"I just want to go home," Alex pleaded.

"Alex," Zangan said. "This is your home now.

Alex bowed his head, trying to hold back tears.

"Alex," Zangan said. "There are a lot of good people here. You couldn't ask for better friends than Riku and Sora. They want to help you."

Alex nodded in agreement. He also realized that he just gave away that he lied about having no memory.

"Don't tell anyone please," Alex asked.

"You have my word," Zangan assured him. "I must warn you though. Keeping secrets, any kind of secrets, is always going to come with consequences. I just hope you understand that."

Alex nodded and headed towards the door.

"I'll accept your training," Alex said. "I don't want to be consumed by my anger. And learning how to fight seems pretty cool."

Zangan nodded and led Alex out. He met Riku and Sora outside the house.

"What happened? Did he say anything to you? Did he fight you?" Sora pelted Alex with questions.

"He just asked if I wanted to train with him and I said yes," Alex admitted.

"All right," Riku said. "You must have really impressed him. It took me and Sora two years of whacking each other with swords before he would even invite us into the house. You get to train with us now."

"Nice," Alex grinned.

"Alex we want you to meet our other friend," Riku said. He turned around. Alex did too and his jaw dropped.

A girl came out from behind a tree. But not just any girl. It was the same girl from his dreams. She was even more beautiful closer up. Her short red hair danced in the wind. She wore a white tank top that just barely showed her belly button. She had a short, purple skirt that was a couple inches above her knees. It was attached by a purple belt. She was wearing white sneakers.

"Hi Alex," the girl smiled. "I'm Kairi."

"Nice to meet you Kairi," Alex meant it too.

"The guys were just telling me about your little fight on the beach," Kairi smiled, which made Alex's heart do backflips.

"Aw it wasn't nothing," Alex bragged.

"Yeah right," Sora teased. "They said they were close to beating you. You just got a few lucky hits in."

"When I saw Tidus," Kairi said. "his voice was really higher than I remember. Did you have something to do with that?"

Alex put his hands behind his head and grinned,"Well I might have had something to do with that."

The whole trio laughed.

"I'm never gonna let Tidus live that down," Riku laughed.

"That's freakin hilarious!" Sora had his hands on his knees.

The four of them began to walk back to their houses. Each of the houses weren't too far away from each other. Alex said good-bye to his new friends, as they promised they would hang out tomorrow. Alex made his way back to his house. On the way, he passed Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. The three of them were sitting around chatting. Tidus and Wakka didn't even acknowledge him when he passed. Selphie smiled at Alex and blew him a kiss. Alex smiled to himself and entered his house.

He got in bed. It had been a long couple of days. Alex looked at himself in a mirror.

"You didn't ask for this. You weren't told about any of this. It just happened. You may not like it, but this is where you are now. You need to learn to stop dwelling on the past. Zangan is right. This is your home now. I'm not saying that if you find a way to get back home that you shouldn't use it. I'm just saying that for now you need to suck it up and live in the now. Get it? Got it? Good."

Alex turned off the lamp next to his bed and went to sleep, eagerly awaiting the next day of the rest of his life.


	5. The Battle of Destiny Islands

Chapter 5: The Battle of Destiny Islands

It had been two years since that day. Two horrible and wonderful years. Horrible, because he was in uncharted territory with absolutely no way of getting home. Wonderful, because he had a bunch of friends and Destiny Islands was as close to paradise as he could find.

The years passed by slowly for Alex. He was able to stay in the house he lived in because Kairi was able to convince her dad, the mayor, to let him. Alex kept up the lie of not remembering where he came from and nobody asked any questions. In the first year, Alex had cried almost every night. Cried for his family, his home, Ashley, anything he could think of. Alex often wondered why Dark Alex sent him here. If he wanted Alex to suffer, he wasn't doing a very good job of placing him in bad surroundings. Destiny Islands had literally become Alex's second home. In the second year, Alex cried less and he began to accept the fact that he wasn't going home. He began to start living. He smiled a lot more, joked more, and worked more.

Alex trained with Sora and Riku. They would get up every morning and go to Zangan's house. Zangan was right in the fact of Alex being gifted in combat. He was able to start right in. They trained with weapons and without weapons. Alex was gifted with both. Zangan entrusted Alex with teaching Sora and Riku some karate moves. Sora and Riku were entrusted with teaching Alex swordplay. What surprised Alex the most was how much he enjoyed it. Every morning he got up, desperate to learn something new. He also loved the feel of combat. He felt truly alive. Sora and Riku loved it too. Whenever they trained, they always had smiles on their faces. In terms of the best in any kind of combat, Riku was the victor. Alex often called him a beast at swords. It was true. Riku was very good. Sora and Alex were about equal. Alex wasn't sure how Sora couldn't beat Riku. The two of them had started training at the same time. Sora just said that Riku had more of a killer instinct. Alex definitely believed that. Every time he would beat Alex or Sora, he just had this sneer on his face. It was one of the things that Alex didn't like about Riku. His attitude was a little snobbish. Sora never payed any attention to that. He looked up to Riku like a big brother. Alex didn't really share that opinion. Nevertheless, the three of them were great friends.

Kairi was another great thing in Alex's life. Every time he saw her, he couldn't help feeling good and a little loopy. She was very funny and a great friend. Although they tried not to show it, Alex knew that Sora and Riku felt the same way about Kairi. They would get the very same look on their face whenever she was around. Alex often thought about if Kairi liked him too, but one thought would always invade his mind. The fact that Kairi has been friends with Sora and Riku longer. Alex had eventually become friends with Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. They seemed to have one thing in common. They loved to annoy each other. This eventually struck up a friendship which Alex welcomed. Tidus and Wakka trained harder than ever with their weapons, waiting for the one day that they could defeat Alex Bane. Selphie didn't really care much about that. She was much more interested in kissing Alex. Alex would often hide from her in a playful way. He would always get found on purpose. Their relationship was strictly business. If either one of them was feeling down, they would "comfort" each other. All in all, Alex loved his life on Destiny Islands. He sometimes thought about Dark Alex, the creatures, and the prophecy in his dream. Alex would always brush the thoughts out of his head. The darkness had already come for him. It sent him here. Alex knew that it was over and done with. He was wrong.

* * *

Alex got out of bed. He put on his trademark outfit, like Riku and Sora. His sneakers, blue jeans that hung a little loose, white tee shirt, and a blue sweatshirt jacket that had two pockets near the waist. The weather on Destiny Islands was really weird. It was always sunny out, but people rarely sweat except if you were playing or training. Alex got his shoes on and walked out the door. It was about 8:30 in the morning. The sun was starting to come out over the mountains. Alex smiled at the sight. The sunrise was his incentive for getting out of bed. He walked over to Sora's house and Riku's house, waking them up along the way. The three of them marched to the beach to begin the morning workout. They each had their practice swords with them.

"Okay, let's get this party started," Alex said, enthusiastically. His response was grumbles from Riku and Sora, as if they couldn't believe he had the nerve to be happy in the morning.

"Hey it's not my fault you guys were up last night," Alex said. "Now come on."

The three began their usual routine of push-ups, sit-ups, and stretches until Zangan came along.

"Good morning Zangan," Alex said, which got him a whack on the back of the head.

"I mean Master Zangan," Alex corrected himself. He still hadn't gotten used to the whole "master" thing.

"Good morning boys," Zangan said. "It's a pleasure to see you up and training this morning. You know what today is boys."

Today was the day when Zangan would pit the boys against other combatants, picking out their strengths and weaknesses. Riku loved these days because he would always win. Alex and Sora loved these days because all of the kids on the island would come to watch these great matches. Kids on the island included girls, more importantly Kairi. The first match was Alex vs. Sora. This match was famous for never finishing. Neither Alex or Sora could best each other. It always ended in a draw. It was like a regular sparring match. If you whack someone, you get a point. First to get three points, wins. Alex looked around to see a crowd had already gathered.

"Let's give them a good show Alex," Sora said. Alex nodded. The two of them drew their wooden swords.

"Ready guys," Zangan said. "Three, two, one, fight!"

Sora started out the fight, lunging forward with his sword. Alex twisted to the right and dodged. He swung the sword at Sora. Sora blocked and swung the sword at Alex's side. Alex quickly brought the sword down to block. His sword came at Sora's head. Sora ducked out of the way, twisted his body, and blocked another blow. He tilted his sword, sliding Alex's off, and came at Alex with a spin. The audience heard the crack of Alex's block. Sora came in for a vertical strike. Alex brought his sword out of the block and whacked Sora's chest.

"First point goes to Alex," Zangan exclaimed. The audience whooped and hollered.

Sora, determined to match Alex's point, swung at his legs. Alex jumped up and brought his sword to Sora's head. Sora rolled out of the way, whacking Alex's leg along with his roll.

"Point to Sora," Zangan said. The crowd cheered.

Alex decided to mix the fight a little. Alex began to make short, quick jabs at Sora. Sora blocked all of them. He was used to Alex's fighting style. Alex tried one last jab. Sora tilted his head to dodge and started his own armada of jabs. Alex ducked and parried. His reflexes were working overtime. Sora shot forward with a slash. Alex quickly veered his body off to the side. He felt the strike almost hit him. He waited until Sora's back was to him and he whacked Sora in the back.

"Point to Alex," Zangan said. The crowd cheered for the great move by Alex.

Sora wasn't about to give in and rushed Alex with an upward slash. Alex blocked horizontally and tried to kick Sora with a front kick. Sora saw it coming and blocked the kick with his left hand and quickly brought his sword down. It whacked Alex's leg.

"Point to Sora," Zangan said. The crowd began to cheer for the final round was starting. They wanted to see if the tie would finally be broken. Alex and Sora wanted to find out the same thing.

Their swords cracked upon impact. They tried to look for an opening. Alex blocked a low jab from Sora. Sora blocked a side strike from Alex. Their swords came together again. This time Alex swung his foot out and tripped Sora. Sora fell to the ground and saw a sword coming at him. He quickly blocked. Sora kicked out with his foot. Alex backed up to avoid the kick. He saw Sora get up. Alex and Sora sprinted at each other. Both of them vertically striking. Suddenly, both of them changed their strikes to horizontal. Both of their blades hit the other's chest. They both groaned.

"Tie match," Zangan explained. The crowd cheered for such a great match and couldn't believe that it was still a tie.

"Someday we are going to break that tie," Sora assured Alex. He smiled in response.

"Great job to both of you," Zangan said. They both grinned.

The matches continued with other boys and girls fighting, desperate to prove who was the best. It was obvious who the best was though. Riku was pitted against Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie and beat them in a minute. The crowd was shocked. Alex was even flabbergasted. He reckoned he had beat those three in at least a minute and a half.

The mini tournament came to an end around 11:00. Everyone got ready to go to lunch. Alex, Sora, and Riku ate with Kairi. After lunch, the four of them got their boats ready to go to the smaller island. The island that Alex first appeared on was an island that was used for playing, relaxation, training, parties, almost anything. The four of them rowed to it. The trip took about ten minutes. Other kids followed them including Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. As soon as they got there, everyone sprinted off to do individual things.

Alex saw Selphie walk up the pathway of the huge tree.

"Y'know Selphie looked kinda down," Alex explained. "I think I'll go comfort her. See ya guys later."

He walked up the pathway of the tree, smelling his breath, and entered the little hollow at the top.

Kairi looked at Riku and Sora.

"Do you think-," she began.

"No. Not in a million years," Sora and Riku said at the same time. Kairi shrugged and walked on the beach. Sora and Riku let out a quick sigh of relief. They knew Alex would give them the silent treatment if they told anybody.

"I think I'm gonna take a nap," Sora yawned. "That match with Alex wore me out."

"You guys have gotten a lot better," Riku replied truthfully. "I'm impressed you guys still can't break that tie."

"It's only a matter of time," Sora assured Riku.

"Whatever," Riku said. "I'm gonna go work on the raft."

The raft. Sora smiled at the mention of that. It had come up in a discussion about two months ago. The two of them had been wondering about where Alex might have come from. That thought eventually led to another and pretty soon they were talking about going to see new worlds. They proposed their idea to Kairi and she immediately said yes. It wasn't an unknown fact that Kairi didn't get along so well with her dad. It took a lot of arguing just to get Alex his house. Eventually, they told the idea to Alex. At first, Alex was shocked that they would ever want to leave this place. However, the more he thought about it, the more he believed that this could be his ticket to getting home. He loved Destiny Islands, but the thought of going home never left his mind. He decided to go with them. Seeing new worlds would be pretty cool too. About a week ago, they had started working on it. It was only a day away from completion. Sora smiled, layed his head on the ground, and went to sleep.

About an hour later, Alex came out of the tree and decided to help Kairi and Riku with the raft. He walked past Sora who was still sleeping and walked to the door at the end of the beach. Kairi was standing in front of it.

"Hey Alex," she greeted him. "Have you finally decided to help?

"Hey I've been helping," Alex protested.

"Sorry, but I don't think throwing coconuts at Sora counts as work," she referred to yesterday.

"Hey I was helping Sora out," Alex said.

"How?" Kairi asked.

"I was teaching him to be more aware that danger is everywhere," Alex said.

"You just made that off the top of your head didn't you," she said.

"Do I still have to work even if I'm truthful?" he asked.

"Yep," Kairi smiled.

"Fine," he gave in. "But if I have to work so does Sora. Let's go wake him up."

Kairi agreed and the two set off to do so. They found Sora still asleep. Alex wanted to wake him up by yelling in his ear, but Kairi convinced him not too. Alex was disappointed. Kairi stood straight over Sora. She whispered his name. Sora moved his head and began to wake up. Somehow, Alex didn't think it was because of the whisper. Sora looked at the ocean and leaned back just in time to see Kairi staring at him.

"HOLY CRAP!" he yelled in surprise. He turned his body and saw Kairi and Alex laughing.

"Give me a break Kairi," Sora pleaded.

"Too bad Sora you lazy bum," she said. "I figured I'd find you snoozing down here."

"Actually I told you," Alex said, but Kairi ignored him.

"No I wasn't snoozing," he said urgently. "This big black thing swallowed me up. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't- OW!

Kairi turned around to see Alex holding a coconut.

"What?" Alex asked innocently.

"Look are you still dreaming?" Kairi asked. "You were eating beef sandwiches again weren't you? You know they give you bad dreams.

"Hey it wasn't a dream okay," Kairi backed off. "It was just- hell I don't know. That place was really bizarre though."

Alex was sitting on the sidelines wondering what kind of dream it was and how the heck did Kairi know what beef sandwiches did to Sora.

"Sure it wasn't a dream," Alex said. "We believe you. You were either abducted by aliens or sleeping. I think I'll go with aliens. It sounds more interesting."

Kairi laughed and walked to the edge of the water.

"Say Kairi?" Sora asked. "What was your hometown like, you know, where you grew up?"

Alex realized that he had never asked Kairi about that. He knew she had moved here, but he never bothered to ask where she was from.

"I told you before Sora," she said. "I don't remember."

"Nothing at all?" Alex asked.

"Nope," she said. "Nothing at all."

"I'm starting to see a trend here," Sora stared at Alex.

"Well would you ever want to go back?" Alex asked.

"Not really," she said. " I mean I'm happy here."

This coming from the girl who's about to go on a raft with three boys on a trip to nowhere, Alex thought.

"But you know," she began. "I wouldn't mind going to see it."

"I'd really like to see it too," Sora said. "That along with any other worlds out there. I just want to see them all."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Alex said.

"Hey aren't you guys forgetting about me?" They turned around to see Riku with a log in his arm.

"So I guess I'm the only one MAN enough to work on the raft," he said.

"No," Sora said. "You're just the only one DUMB enough to work on the raft while we smart people don't do anything."

Riku responded by throwing the log on top of him.

"And you're just as lazy as they are," Riku pointed at Kairi.

"So you noticed," Kairi grinned mischieviously. "Okay then, we will finish it together. I'll race you."

The three of them had just either fought in a tournament, worked on a raft, or woke up from a nap, so all three guys' mumbled responses were along these lines:

"You gotta be kidding me"

"She's so bossy"

"The woman is on drugs"

They just sat there until they started to look at each other. They started smiling and before they knew it, all of them were racing down the beach. Alex in front, Riku and Sora tied, and Kairi bringing up the rear. All of them were laughing their heads off.

They reached the end of the beach, stopping to catch their breath.

"Okay let's do this thing!" Alex said. The other three nodded in agreement and set off to work on the raft.

Kairi told Sora to find supplies and Riku and Alex to build the rest of the raft with the supplies. She told Sora to get a move on.

"She's gonna make a great mom someday," Alex said to Riku. Riku cracked up.

"What's so funny?" Kairi asked.

"Nothing," both of them replied.

Sora eventually came back with two more logs, a cloth for a sail, and rope. The others asked what took him so long.

"I had to fight Tidus for the rope," Sora explained. "When I beat him he said he didn't want it anyway."

"So why the hell did he fight you?" Alex asked confused.

"I don't freakin know!" Sora yelled, obviously frustrated.

"Well anyway," Kairi said. "Riku, Alex, time to get to work."

"Yes your majesty," Alex replied.

The actual working part took about three hours. Alex and Riku roped the logs together to make the floor. They used the remaining logs and rope to create a mast. They tied the cloth on to make a sail. When it was all done, the four friends took a good look at the work they had done.

"Well before it looked like a piece of crap," Alex said. "Now it looks like a piece of crap that can actually float."

Kairi punched him on the arm. "Don't be so negative," she said.

"Wow," Sora said. "Kinda hard to believe we did all this. I mean, before it was easy to say that we would build a raft and go visit worlds, but now that it's finished all of this feels real. This is actually gonna happen."

Riku didn't say anything. He just stared at the raft. Alex recognized that look. It was the same look Riku had given him when he first got here.

"Hey guys the sunset is about to start," Alex said. "Wanna watch it?" The others agreed.

All of them journeyed to the circular plateau in the water and stood by or on the leaning tree. The sun was bright, but Alex started straight into it. This was truly living. Watching the sunset had become a tradition with the four of them. It was their way of saying goodbye to the day and hello to night at the same time. Riku was standing by leaning against the tree with his arms folded. Kairi was sitting on the tree, swaying her legs. Sora was lounging on it like it was a recliner. Alex was sitting right by Kairi. The three of them were silent for several minutes.

Finally, Sora said,"So Kairi's home is out there somewhere right?"

"It could be," Riku said. "We aren't gonna find out by staying here that's for sure."

"How far could a raft take us?" Alex asked.

"Who knows?" Riku said, not the response Alex was looking for. "If we have to, we can think of something else."

"Okay so let's suppose you do get to another world," Kairi said. "What would you do there?"

"Well, I haven't really thought about it," Riku said. "It's just that I've always wondered why we're here. On this particular island. I mean if there are other worlds out there, then why did we end up on this one? Does someone just choose where you go? And lets suppose that there are other worlds... then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

"I dunno," Sora answered, laying back even farther.

"Exactly," Riku proved his point. "And that is why we need to get out there and find out. Just sitting here isn't going to change a thing. It's just the same old stuff day after day. So let's go."

Alex disagreed with Riku. That "old stuff" that Riku talked about meant a lot to Alex. It had become part of his life.

"Wow," Kairi exclaimed. "You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?"

"It's all thanks to you," Riku turned to face her. "If you hadn't come here, I probably would have never thought of any of this. Thank you Kairi."

"You're welcome," she said. The two of them stared at each other, smiling. Alex could tell that they were having a moment and he didn't like it one bit.

"Well," Alex said loudly. "I don't know about you guys, but I think I'm gonna call it a day."

Alex's voice popped Kairi and Riku out of their little spell.

"Yeah," Kairi agreed. "This has been a long day."

"What do you mean this has been a long day?" Sora protested. "You didn't even do anything."

Alex, behind Kairi, motioned with his hand to stop talking.

"Excuse me," Kairi said. "Without me, you guys wouldn't have had a clue what to do."

"Point taken," Sora said.

"Dude I told you," Alex said. "Never ever get into a fight with a woman. You will lose."

Sora just shook his head. Riku scoffed behind him. Kairi began to walk on the wooden bridge that would lead to the stairs to bring her down to the beach. Alex and Sora followed her. Riku stayed behind.

"Hey Alex!" Alex turned around to catch something in his hands. It was a yellow star-shaped fruit. A paopu fruit.

"You wanted one didn't you?" Riku asked.

"A paopu fruit," Alex said. "When did I say I ever wanted on of these?"

"The legend says that if two people share one, their destinies will becom intertwined," Riku explained. "They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what. C'mon I know you want to try it?"

"What the heck are you talking about?" Alex asked, puzzled.

Riku just laughed. Alex just assumed it was an inside joke. He threw the fruit aside and ran after Riku. The four friends got in their boats, sailed home, and got into bed, eagerly awaiting tomorrow.

* * *

The sun beamed on Disney Castle every morning which showed off its brilliance. It had multiple towers. Its main color was white. The top outline of the castle was blue. It seemed to be bending in some places. This castle definitely had a quirkiness about it. It was also home to King Mickey and Queen Minnie. This castle had gigantic hallways with cielings that would take two ladders to get to. Someone was walking down one of these hallways.

Donald Duck was eager to get his morning going by greeting his friend Mickey. He walked past the broomsticks that were walking back from cleaning the grand hall, which was where he was going. Donald was the court wizard of Disney Castle, trained by Merlin himself. Merlin often called him his best pupil. Donald never had to use his skills in combat because Disney Castle was the most peaceful place you could find. Even though he liked the peace, he was still eager for some action so he could prove that all his training had paid off.

He eventually reached his destination. A set of double doors that looked like they were built for a giant. Donald cleared his throat, knocked twice, and a smaller door which everyone used opened. That left Donald wondering why they even had the big doors. He entered the grand hall.

It was majestic. It was entirely white, with columns on either side stretching up to the ceiling. The only thing that wasn't white was the long red carpet that led up to the King's throne. Right behind the throne, to the left there was a statue of Donald in a wizard's outfit and to the right there was his other friend dressed like a knight.

"Good morning your majesty," Donald said, as he got closer to the throne.

"It sure is nice to see you this morn-WHAT?!" Donald quacked and his jaw dropped.

King Mickey wasn't sitting in the throne. He wasn't even in the throne. Donald looked around and called out Mickey's name. No one responded. Donald was starting to get a little nervous. The king was almost always in here. Something moved behind the throne. It was Pluto, the king's dog. He looked up at Donald as if he had done something wrong. Donald was paying attention to the envelope Pluto had in his mouth. The envelope was marked with the king's seal. One large circle with two smaller ones attached to it. Donald yanked the letter from Pluto's mouth and opened it. He read it once, twice, a third time and he was still having trouble believing it. He needed to tell someone. He ran out of the hall, quacking all the way.

He made his way out to the castle gardens. The gardens had multiple sculptures. There was a circular path around the whole thing. In the middle, was a sculpture of the castle itself. It had many different colors on it. Donald ran on this path and found what he was looking for. His other best friend, Goofy.

Goofy was captain of the Royal Guard at Disney Castle. Donald often wondered how he had gotten that position because Goofy was not the brightest tool in the shed. Nevertheless, Goofy took his job seriously and did it well. Like Donald, Goofy never had to put any combat skills into action. Unlike Donald, Goofy enjoyed the peace and didn't secretly yearn for danger.

Goofy, at this moment was performing his favorite activity: sleeping. Donald ran over to him and stopped to catch his breath.

"Wake up Goofy, wake up, this is serious," Donald said, but to no avail. Goofy only snored louder. Donald decided to take drastic measure.

"Take this you lummox!" Donald said. He raised his hand to the sky and a lightning bolt struck Goofy. Goofy was taken completely by surprise and yelped. When he finally returned to the ground, he rubbed his eyes and said like nothing happened,"Hey there Donald, good morning."

Donald cut to the chase. "We've got a problem Goofy," he said. "But don't tell anyone."

Goofy thought about this for a second. "Queen Minnie?"

"Not even the queen."

"Daisy?"

"Nooooo!" Donald screamed. "It's top secret."

"Aw good mornin' ladies," Goofy said, looking away from Donald.

"What?" Donald turned around nervously to see Queen Minnie and his lover, Daisy looking very cross with him. All Donald could do was laugh nervously and was prepared to get a tongue lashing from Daisy.

* * *

The next day, Alex got out of bed and immediately made his way to the smaller island. He knew the others would already be there. He made it in five minutes. He docked his boat and began to walk around. Selphie was sitting on the dock.

"Hey Alex," Selphie said. "Have you heard about the legendary power of the paopu fruit?"

Alex shook his head. He had a very bad idea where this was going.

"They say that is you share it with someone you really care for that it will bind you two together for eternity," Selphie explained and sighed. "It's so romantic. I just gotta try it sometime."

Alex noticed that she was staring at him. "Well good luck with that Selphie."

He immediately began to run away. If the others weren't on this part of the island, then they would be on the back part. They had shown Alex the back part after his first week. Alex walked to the end of the beach and went through the door at the end.

The back part started off as another rock platform that was held together by wood. Connected to it was another wooden bridge, only this one was prone to fall down more than the other one. Beneath it was the ocean. The walkway stretched out to a higher level of land. On it was a tower the kids had built. The tower was a lookout and a zipline. Alex had lots of fun with that. The zip line stopped at a smaller and shorter tower that was near a bunch of coconut trees. Behind it was a sandy ramp that led to the trees at the very back of the rock wall. In front of the coconut trees, was the raft and the ocean.

Alex shut the door behind him and immediately saw Riku and Sora arguing.

"Highwind!"

"Excalibur!"

"Highwind!"

"Excalibur!"

The two argued back and forth. Sora preaching Excalibur. Riku was for Highwind.

"Whoa guys calm down," Alex said. "What are you guys talking about?"

"The name of the raft," Riku explained.

"Oh I see," Alex realized. "And you guys are trying to decide this by screaming the name back and forth."

"You know he's right," Sora admitted. "How about-"

"The usual?"

"Let's do it!" Sora exclaimed.

"Are you guys at it again?" The boys turned to see Kairi standing on the walkway.

"Okay you guys know the rules." Kairi said.

"Okay if I win, I get to be captain," Sora said. "And if you win...

"I get to share the paopu with Kairi," Riku said. "Deal?"

His answer surprised Sora. He almost wanted to back out of the race, but he didn't. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted to win. He was going to beat Riku.

"On my count guys," Alex said. "Three, two, two and a half, one, GOPHER... just kidding, GO!"

Sora and Riku sprinted on the wooden bridge. Kairi cheering them on and Alex yelling,"Run Forrest Run!"

Sora and Riku were side by side. They zoomed on the bridge, jumping over a rotten plank. They got to land. Riku took the beach. Sora took the zip line. He knew he would lose precious seconds climbing it, but he would get it back. He worked his arms and legs to get to the top as quick as possible. Riku was running by the beach, pumping his arms and sprinting. He took a quick look back. He didn't see Sora. He smiled to himself and passed the coconut trees, thinking he had this race in the bag. He was taken by surprise when Sora fell out of the sky screaming right in front of him. Both of them stopped, surprised by what happened. They took a quick look at each other and started running again. They ran up the ramp and began to jump on the trees. Sora leaped, while timing the jumps in his head. Riku skipped over them. Both of them got to the last tree. Embedded into the rock was a very rare paopu tree. The tree was brown. At the top was a giant star. Sora and Riku leaped to the tree, touched the star, and started back again. This time Sora couldn't take the zip line. He just used the route Riku took. They ran past the raft, leaped over the land and made it to the wooden bridge. Sora used every ounce of strength that he had to make it. Suddenly, he was in front of Riku. He saw Kairi smiling and he knew he was going to win. That was when the floor dropped out from under him. He fell through the bridge and splashed into the water. He came out of the water spluttering, wondering what happened. He looked up to see Riku on the rocks.

"You forgot about the rotten plank," Riku said.

"Dammit," Sora cursed and climbed out of the water.

"All right we're naming the raft Highwind," Riku declared.

Sora stood gaping at Riku. Whatever happened to sharing the paopu with Kairi? He realized then that Riku had played with his emotions. He gave Sora incentive to race. He couldn't believe he had fallen for it.

"Dude don't worry about it," Alex said. "It's a dumb name anyway. What kind of name is Highwind? How about the Jolly Roger or the Black Pearl or Alex's Sea Cruiser of Love? Any of those would be better."

Sora laughed. "Alex's Sea Cruiser of Love?"

"That would be the name for it when you guys aren't on it," Alex smiled. "It'll just be me and the finest wenches in the land."

"All right guys," Kairi said. "Today is the day that we collect provisions for the trip."

"Everyone," Alex demanded. "Grab as much beer as you can carry.

Kairi punched Alex in the arm. "What he means is grab provisions that we NEED!"

"Great,"Alex complained. "So much for raft parties."

"Alex you are gonna look for a seagull egg, three mushrooms, two coconuts, three fish, and fill this cup up with drinking water...no, not from the ocean!"

"Darnit," Alex walked away from the water. "You think you could write all that down for me?"

He took it by her expression that she wouldn't.

"Bring everything back here when you're done, okay?" she said.

Alex mumbled what she took as a "yes". He decided that he would get the coconuts first. He walked over to the trees and started to kick them. He kicked for about two minutes when the coconuts fell. The good news was that he got the two coconuts, the bad news was that they fell on his head. Alex cursed loudly and brought them to Kairi who was waiting by the raft. He went off to get more things. He found a mushroom in a stone hollow and another one by the tower. He filled the cup with fresh water at a spring that emptied into the ocean. He went to the front of the island to get the other things. He had a heck of a time trying to catch the fish. He had to endure laughs from Tidus and Wakka, but they stopped when Alex threw the fish at them. The hardest was the seagull egg. Selphie knew where one was, but she wouldn't tell Alex. At least, not until he comforted her. He found out thirty minutes later that it was on top of a tree at the plateau. He made his way to it and started climbing trees. It took all of his strength to hold the seagull egg and himself from falling. He eventually made it down and gave it to Kairi.

"Only one more mushroom to go," she said.

Alex made his way back to the front of the island and asked if there were any mushrooms. No one knew. Not even Selphie.

"Well I don't know where any mushrooms are," Wakka said. "But me and Tidus are gonna do a little explorin' today."

"Where at?" Alex asked.

"You know, to the secret place at the base of the big tree," Wakka explained. "I figure there's gotta be something there, ya?"

"Ya," Alex replied and made his way to the secret place.

He had never gone in here. Riku had always said that nothing was in here. He was still curious. There could be mushrooms in there. Alex went to the crack in the rock and bent down so he could get in. The inside was dirt that had been hollowed out to make a path. He went in the only direction he could go, forward. He walked for a short while until he came to the place he was looking for. It was a small area, but still was intriguing. The walls were rocks that were held together by the tree's gigantic roots. Alex looked at the rocks. There were lots of drawings on them. Some were knights on horses. There were drawings of animals and imaginary creatures. They were everywhere. Alex assumed that the others must have drawn them. They sure had a wild imagination. But the most distinguishing feature about this place wasn't even the drawings. It was the door. Alex couldn't believe his eyes. A door was here at the bottom of the tree. The door was outlined in gold, but the rest was wooden. Alex walked over to it. There was no doorknob on it. Alex tried to open it, but nothing worked. He wondered what lie inside of the door. He remembered what he came here for. He looked to his right and on the ground was a mushroom. He kneeled down and picked it up. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a particular drawing right by the door. The drawing was of two faces. One was smiling and had spiky hair. The other was smiling and had short hair. Alex could immediately tell that it was Sora and Kairi. Sora was giving Kairi a paopu fruit. It looked like the paopu fruit had been drawn in recently. Alex guessed that Sora must have been in here. He realized that his friend was trying to tell Kairi something. He sighed and felt a presence behind him.

"Hey who's there?" Alex asked, a little scared.

Alex looked around and gasped. Standing in the shadows of the rocks was a figure. The figure was dressed in a brown, dirty coat that stretched to the floor. The figure had no face, the hood covered it all. It looked like his face was shadows itself. The figure spoke in a low, booming voice.

"**I've come to see the door to this world."**

"What?"

**"This world has been connected."**

"What are you talking about?"

**"Tied to the darkness...soon to be completely eclipsed."**

Alex started shaking. "Okay, whoever you are stop freaking me out like this. Wait, where did you come from?"

**"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door."**

"So you must be from another world, right?"

**"There is so very much to learn...you understand so little."**

Alex was starting to get annoyed. "Oh yeah, well you'll see. My friends and I are building a raft and we're gonna learn what's out there."

**"A meaningless effort...one who knows nothing can understand nothing."**

"Whatever," Alex said.

The figure motioned to the door. Alex looked at it. It was the same way it was a second ago. Alex looked back. The figure was gone. Alex looked around for him, but he was gone.

"How the heck did he get here?" Alex said to himself. "The door doesn't have a freakin' knob on it."

Alex didn't like what that guy said about this world being connected and that it was tied to the darkness. Alex thought back to that day his parents were killed. Was the darkness still coming after him? The man also mentioned a door.

"What is it with these mysterious people and their doors?" Alex thought to the voice in his dream all those years ago. "Someone needs to open this door already. It's getting on my nerves."

Alex decided to put this behind him and he walked out of the secret place. He journeyed back to the raft and found Kairi doing something.

"Hey Kairi," Alex smiled, trying to show that nothing was wrong. "Watcha doin'?"

Kairi looked up. "Oh nothing. Just making a necklace."

"What kind of necklace?"

"It's a necklace of thalassa shells."

Alex looked at the white shells that were attached to a thread.

"Does it stand for something?"

"Well, in the old days, sailors always wore these necklace to ensure a safe voyage."

Alex nodded. "Yeah I guess we could use all the help we can get. That dunderhead Riku is our captain after all."

Kairi giggled. "I think he'll do a great job."

"Yeah he probably will. But if he starts ordering me to do stuff, I swear to Blackbeard that I will equalize him when it comes to pirate talk."

"I imagine that you will," Kairi smiled and handed him the necklace.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"You seem more scared than I am. So you can have it."

"Please I'm not scared."

"Suuuuurrrrrre," Kairi said, grinning.

"Okay this has been a long day," Alex said. "Let's go home."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Riku and Sora already left. They said they had to get started on their packing."

Kairi started to walk to get her boat.

Why do they have to pack, they wear the same exact outfit all the time, Alex wondered.

He quickly followed Kairi. The sun had began to set into the ocean and the sky boasted its lovely colors. Alex stared at for a moment thinking that tomorrow he would leave it all behind. It made him a little sad. He followed Kairi to the dock on the beach. She was about to untie her boat, but decided to sit on the edge of the dock instead. Alex didn't know what she was doing, but decided to sit with her. They sat together for awhile.

"Y'know Riku has changed," Kairi finally said.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"Well-hm," Kairi couldn't bring the words out. She struggled to think of the right way to explain it.

"I mean yeah he's kinda more philosophical then usual," Alex admitted. "He also kicks ass at fighting more then he did, but that's just age stuff. I don't think he's changed all that much."

"Yeah," she said. "You're probably right."

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Kairi didn't respond. Alex guessed that she wasn't.

Suddenly she said,"Alex let's take the raft and go. Y'know, just the two of us."

"What?!" Alex couldn't believe what she was saying. He also felt his face get a little hotter. He blamed it on the sun.

Kairi just laughed. "Just kidding."

"Jeez, what the heck has gotten into you?" Alex said. "If anyone has changed, I'd say it'd be you Kairi."

"Maybe I have," Kairi admitted.

"In a really good way though," Alex quickly added.

"Thanks Alex," she smiled and Alex's heart jumped. "You know I was a little afraid at first, but now I know I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know that I can always come back here. Right?"

"Of course," Alex reassured her.

"Alex," Kairi slipped her hand into his. "Don't ever change, okay?"

Alex wasn't sure what was happening. Suddenly, he was worried if his palm was sweating. Alex looked into Kairi's eyes and he knew what was happening.

"I won't change," Alex managed to croak out. "You can count on that."

Kairi smiled at him and did something he didn't expect. She kissed him on the cheek.

"I just can't wait," she said. "Once we set sail, it'll be great." She got up, untied her boat and began the trip home.

Alex stood there for about a minute trying to remember what his name was. He finally snapped out of it and followed Kairi in his boat. He knew he was going to have a hard time getting to sleep tonight.

* * *

The letter read:

Dear Donald and Goofy,

Sorry to rush off without saying goodbye, but there's big trouble brewing.

Not sure why, but stars in the sky have been blinking out one by one.

That must mean that disaster can't be far behind.

I really hate to leave you all, but I've gotta check into it.

All I know is that there is someone with a "key", the key to our survival.

So I need you guys to find him and stick with him. Got it?

We need that key or we're doomed! So go to Traverse Town and find Leon.

He'll point you in the right direction.

P.S.

Would you apologize to Minnie for me? Thanks pals.

"Oh dear what could this mean?!" Daisy shrieked.

Donald, Goofy, Queen Minnie, and Daisy had gathered in the castle library. On the walls were pictures of Mickey's ancestors.

"It means," Minnie said. "We'll just have to trust the king."

"Gawrsh," Goofy said. "I sure hope he's all right."

"Your Highness," Donald began. Minnie faced him. "Don't worry. We'll find the king and this key."

Minnie was almost brought to tears. "Thank you. Both of you."

Donald looked at his sweetheart. "Daisy can you take car of the-."

"Of course," Daisy responded, as if reading his thoughts. "You be careful now, both of you."

"Oh," Minnie remembered. "And to chronicle your travels, he will accompany you." She pointed to the table next to them.

Donald surveyed the table and blinked. He couldn't see anything.

"Over here," Donald saw a little figure jumping up and down on the table. It was a cricket that looked like it owned a night club.

"Cricket's the name," it said. "Jiminy Cricket at your service." Goofy couldn't believe his eyes.

"We hope for your safe return," Minnie said. "Please help the king."

Donald gave her a salute, which mentally told her that the job was considered done. Donald looked at Daisy and gave her a smile. She winked back. Donald looked over to see Goofy giving HIM a salute.

"You're coming too ya idiot," Donald grabbed Goofy and pulled him out of the library.

The duo made their way down to the garden and through the secret passageway in the sculpture of the castle. They began their trek down a long and winding staircase.

"Gawrsh Jiminy, your world disappeared too?!" Goofy asked. The cricket was on his head.

"It was terrible," Jiminy responded. "We were scattered. And as far as I can see, I'm the only one who made it to this castle."

"Goofy?" Donald said.

Goofy remembered. "Oh right I gotcha. You mean that while we're in other worlds we can't let on where we're from. We gotta protect the world border."

"You mean order," Donald corrected him.

"Oh right, world order," Goofy laughed.

Donald just sighed as said to himself, We're dead.

They reached the end of the staircase and walked down a long dark hallway.

"I guess we'll need new clothes when we get there, huh?" Goofy said. "You know, to help us blend in."

"A duck and a freakin' palooka," Donald said sarcastically. "Yeah we'll definitely fit in."

The three of them went through the door. Goofy and Donald knew what to expect, but Jiminy didn't and he gasped when he saw the amazing sight.

They were in some sort of hanger. He could tell that much. It looked like the inner workings of some clock. Giant mechanical gear inhabited the hanger. Jiminy looked up to see two, giant, gloved hands moving things around. Many sounds infested the hanger. Most of them were coming from smaller devices that Jiminy had never even seen before.

"What is this place?" he asked Donald.

"This is the Gummi Ship hanger," Donald responded.

"What is a Gummi Ship?" the cricket asked.

Donald pointed to the object in the middle of the room. The ship was yellow, red and orange. Its wings were white. The center of it was an orange square with a cockpit shone through glass. Attatched to it were two yellow cylinders that Jiminy guessed were the rocket boosters. Jutting out of the center was a rectangle on its edges. A pointed, red triangle was at the very tip. This was the Gummi Ship, used for intergalactic travel.

Donald and Goofy stepped down the stairs to a brick platform. Donald walked over to an intercom and spoke into it. It was a way to communicate with the mechanics.

"Hello up there, Donald Duck to launch crew," Donald said. "Anytime you're ready."

The message was relayed to the work station right above them. The mechanics that were up there were two little chipmunks. One of them was Chip, the other was Dale. Both of them looked alike.

"Dale they're ready," Chip explained. "Throw the switch."

Dale nodded and pulled a huge lever in front of him.

Goofy knew they had done something because gears started turning faster and steam began to come out of little spouts.

Chip and Dale looked out the workstation window to see what they did. The giant, gloved hands made their way over to Donald and Goofy. The hands opened up and grabbed both of them by their bottoms. Jiminy had to grab Goofy's leg just to hold on. The hands lowered all of them into the cockpit. The cockpit consisted of three chairs. Usually, it was Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. This time, their trio was down to two. In front of the chairs, there were two handles, curved at the bottom and connected to steer the ship. The buttons on this steering mechanism were for shooting lasers, missiles, and other things. The Gummi Ship was customized with gummis. Gummis were made from the material found from shooting stars. King Mickey had made the discovery after a long trip. They could be customized to fit and do anything.

Pluto jumped from the platform into the ship. He wanted to come to. The platform the ship was on began to rise and turn to a darkened runway that was only visible by the lights that were on it. Donald got into the front seat while Goofy, Jiminy, and Pluto got in the others. Donald looked out the window to see Daisy. He gave her a wink and started up the rocket boosters. Jiminy almost fell over from the rumble. Right when Donald knew it was ready he yelled,"Blast off."

Right in the runway appeared a red arrow pointing down. Donald knew what it meant when the ship began to fall. It fell down a duct that was just big enough for it to get through. Donald and Goofy were pinned to the top of the window, until the ship fell through all the way. The ship turned itself and Donald took control again. Everyone looked out their windows and saw space. It was blue, green, and purple all mixed into one moving, never ending curtain. Donald grabbed the steering wheel, pushed it forward, and the rockets blasted them away to an unknown planet. Donald and Goofy were just a regular wizard and knight looking for someone with a key. Little did they know that they would play a pinnacle role in the greatest battle the worlds had ever seen.

* * *

Night had fallen over Destiny Islands. The stars were out and it was a majestic blue. Sora looked up at these stars. He knew he was leaving tomorrow. He couldn't wait. Sora was a traveler at heart. He could never stay in one place at a time. Destiny Islands was his home, but he wanted to learn what was out there. He looked at his room. It was similar to Alex's. Small and messy. He looked up on his dresser to see a small model boat. In it were a boy and a girl. It reminded him of Kairi. He still remembered that day that he drew that paopu fruit into the drawing at the cave. He meant it too.

Sora turned around and saw something he didn't expect. A storm. The lightning began to crash over the smaller island. The sky was no longer blue, it was pure black. Sora might have thought this was strange, but his only thought was," Oh no, the raft!"

Ten minutes later Sora's mom called him down for dinner.

"Sora dinner's ready come on down," she said. "Sora?"

She came up to his room and opened the door. No one was there and the window was open.

Zangan had woken from his sleep for a cup of tea. He decided to drink it outside. He sat on his porch and drank. When he finished he was about to go inside. He saw the lightning. The sky was looking really weird too.

"This is strange," he said. "It usually never storms here."

He didn't want to get struck so he went inside again. He was about to go to bed when he heard something in his living room. A crash. He looked over to see a lamp had fallen.

"Who's there?" Zangan said.

He made his way over to his sword and picked it up.

"Whoever you are I must warn you that I am armed," he said.

He walked up and down the hallways of his house before finally entering the dojo. He heard the thunder outside and it shone light whenever it struck. Zangan held his sword in front of him. He heard something behind him. He turned, sword swinging. He hit something and it squealed. Zangan leaped in surprise. He didn't see what he hit. All he saw were two yellow eyes in the darkness. He stabbed the creature and went to his door. Two more attacked him, but he sliced them into pieces. He ran outside. The storm was growing worse.

"Zangan,Zangan," He turned around and saw Alex.

"Alex what is going on?" he asked.

"Those creatures won't leave me alone!" Alex screamed.

"Alex come inside," Zangan said. "I will protect you."

Alex nodded and followed Zangan inside.

"Are you all right?" Alex asked.

"Oh I'm fine," Zangan said. "What do you mean the creatures won't leave you alone?"

"I've seen them before," Alex squealed.

"You mean where you came from?"

"Yeah"

"Well don't worry," Zangan said. "These things won't hurt you. I'll make sure of that."

He turned around and saw more creatures. He raised his blade for battle.

Suddenly, he felt a slight pressure at his chest. He looked down to see what it was. It was a sword. A sword going through him! He started to feel faint. There was a lot of blood. He took a step forward and turned around to see what had hit him. All he saw was Alex.

"Wha-?!'

"Sorry about that Zangy," Alex said. "But you were right about one thing. Those things won't hurt me. I mean after all-"

He brought his face to Zangan's and smiled.

"I am one of them!" His eyes turned yellow and he smiled maniacally. He dragged Zangan to the ground and proceeded to feed on his prey.

* * *

The real Alex was asleep in his bed. He was woken by the thunder.

"Why does there have to be a storm tonight?" Alex complained.

He put his shoes on and went outside. He looked to the sky, expecting to see your average run-of-the-mill storm. That wasn't what he saw. The sky was pitch black. Alex recognized it from that night. He immediately began to shake. The mysterious man's words rang in his head.

**"This world has been connected...Tied to the darkness."**

"Dammit," Alex cursed. "Why didn't I pay more attention to that?"

The lightning cracked in the sky. The sky looked like an ocean wave. Alex couldn't believe what he saw next. Large, dark tendrils jumped out of the sky. The tendrils hovered for a moment and then they connected with the ground. One landed right by Alex. He went over to see what happened. A hole had formed. Alex hesitantly looked over. He was rewarded with a Shadow jumping at him. Alex screamed and dodged. He kicked the Shadow and started to run.

I need to warn everybody, he thought.

He began to scream at the top of his lungs, banging on people's doors. People came outside to see what was going on. They saw the sky and more tendrils. They saw the creatures pop out of the ground. All of Destiny Islands began to scream. People were running back and forth, trying to get away and find their loved ones. Alex fought through the crowd. He eventually found someone familiar.

"Tidus, have you seen Sora, Riku, or Kairi?"

"Oh I'm fine thanks for asking," he responded, but realized that it wasn't a good one. "Yeah, I saw Sora taking off to the island about ten minutes ago. I've been to Kairi and Riku's house, but they aren't there. My guess is that they're on the island too."

"Dammit," Alex cursed. "I'll go look for them. You and the others get to safety."

"Good luck man," Tidus said and ran off.

Tidus found Wakka and Selphie.

"What the hell is going on?" Selphie said.

"That's what it is Selphie," Wakka answered. "Hell. It's come for us."

"Don't be ridiculous," Tidus said. "This isn't hell."

"What is it then?" Wakka asked. "I'm waiting for an answer, ya?"

Tidus didn't have one. He heard someone call his name.

"Alex I thought you went to go get the other three," he said.

"I just wanted to make sure that you're all right." Alex responded.

"You came for me?!" Selphie squealed, but Alex didn't respond.

"Dude forget about those guys and come with us," Wakka said.

"I can't. I need to look for them. See ya later," Alex turned around, but someone stopped him. It was Selphie.

"Wait. This is something to remember me by," she pulled him closer and kissed him. The other guys couldn't believe she was doing this. Selphie pulled away.

"And this is something to remember me by," Alex said and thrust his arm straight through her. Selphie didn't have any time to scream.

"What the hell?!" Tidus screamed.

"This isn't real! This is just a dream!" Wakka yelled.

"You wish," Alex smiled and lept at his next victims.

* * *

Alex made his way to the beach, killing any Shadow that got in his way. He got his boat ready and cast off. He rowed with all his might. He took one last look at his home for two years. Tears streamed down his face. However, sadness was soon replaced with hate. Utter hate for the creatures that continued to ruin his life. He was going to save his friends no matter what. As he was getting close to the island, he saw something appear in the sky. It was a black-blue orb. The very middle of it seemed to be pink smoke. Lightning flashed around it. Alex didn't know what that was, but there was no way in hell that it could be good.

He leapt off his boat, not caring what happened to it and looked at the dock. Three boats were there. He recognized them as Sora's, Riku's, and Kairi's. At least he knew they were here. He leapt off the dock onto the beach. As soon as he touched the ground the Shadows came. Alex had no weapon to fight them with. He kicked ones on the ground and if they jumped he punched them.

"Alex! Alex!"

He turned to see Sora running towards him.

"Sora what the hell are you doing here?!"

"I came to check on the raft and the next thing I know I'm being attacked by creatures from my dream!"

Alex blinked. "Your dream?"

"Two days ago I tried to tell you guys, but you wouldn't listen to me," Sora explained.

"Oh my God!" Alex whispered. It had happened to Sora too. "Sora! What happened in that dream?"

"This voice told me to pick a weapon, I fought some of these creatures, and an even bigger one, and I was always on these stained-glass platforms."

Alex couldn't believe his ears.

"Finally the voice told me that I would be the one who would open the door," Sora finished.

"What is it with this gaddamn door?!" Alex yelled in frustration. "Oh crap!"

The Shadows were back. The two of them ran into the seaside shack.

"How do you know about the door?" Sora asked.

"Because I had a dream just like yours," Alex said.

"What does this all mean?"

"I have no idea," Alex said. "The only thing I do know is that those creatures take hearts."

"Crap!

The Shadows had entered the shack. The two boys ran up the stairs to the rock platform.

"Look!" Sora pointed. Alex could see Riku on the plateau.

"Let's go!" Alex said.

The two of them raced down the bridge, dodging Shadows along the way. They eventually got to Riku.

"Where's Kairi?! I thought she was with you!" Sora said.

"The door has opened," Riku said, mysteriously.

"That's it!" Alex screamed. "I've had enough with this door. What does it mean.?"

"The door has opened guys," Riku turned to face them. "Now we can go to the outside worlds."

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked.

"We gotta find Kairi," Sora said.

"Kairi's coming with us," Riku said.

Sora and Alex opened their eyes in surprise.

"You sure?" Alex said. "Cause I don't see her anywhere."

Riku didn't appear to have heard him. "Once we step though, we might not be able to come back," he explained. "We may never see our parents again, but there's no turning back. This may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us. I'm not afraid of the darkness!" He screamed at the orb in the sky.

Riku reached out his hand. "Come with me Sora."

"Riku?" Sora was unsure about what to do.

Suddenly, a dark circle appeared underneath Riku. Dark tentacles reached out and grabbed him. He still remained the same, with his arm outstretched. Sora stepped back, but a dark circle appeared under him too. Tentacles began to grab him. He stretched out his arm to grab Riku's. He tried with all his heart, but he couldn't reach.

"Sora! Don't!" Alex screamed which popped Sora out of his spell. Sora fell back out of the circle. Alex was blinded by a great light. When it was gone, Riku was gone.

Sora stood up to find that he was holding something. It was a giant key. Sora stared at it. The hilt was gold and the cylinder was silver. The teeth of the key were in the shape of an upside-down crown. They would definitely cut anything they hit. Attached to the hilt was a keychain. It was the same insignia from his dream.

Alex looked at this weapon. All thoughts had left him, until he realized that he was holding something too. He was holding the sword from his dream. Golden hilt, straight white blade, and the same insignia.

"What the hell just happened?" Alex said.

Sora just shook his head. He felt some kind of power growing within him. He felt stronger then he had ever been. This felt good!

"Sora behind you!"

Sora turned around to see a Shadow leaping up at him. On instinct, Sora sliced the creature with his key.

"Hey that can kill these things," Alex said. He turned around and sliced one behind him. "This sword can too."

"Let's go!" Both of them said at the same time and began a rampage against the Shadows.

They leaped from the bridge onto the middle of the beach and began to fight. It started to rain.

Alex went with the first Shadow he saw and slashed it. He dodged a claw strike and stabbed the next. One Shadow leaped in the air, but Alex cut it in half. He swung his body around, the momentum adding to the damage of his attack. He sliced three Shadows in one strike. He lunged forward and stabbed another. He kicked its body into another Shadow. He slashed diagonally to get the next Shadow. A Shadow leaped at him, but Alex ducked, pivoted, and sliced it in midair. He would never had been able to do these things if he hadn't had training. He stomped a Shadow with an axe kick. He swung the blade upward which caught two Shadows and did a spin cut which caught another two. One Shadow cut him on the arm and it was rewarded with a decapitation. Alex hit the head with the blunt part of his sword and knocked it into a group of Shadows.

Sora was getting used to his new weapon, which he dubbed the "Keyblade". He found that the keyblade was even easier to control then a regular sword. Sora swiped a Shadow from the ground. He hit another one with the hilt. He dodged the claws of a Shadow and sliced it in the back. Sora stabbed one and kicked another. He thrust upward to catch an airborne one and slammed the keyblade on another. He saw two Shadows leap in the air. He stuck the keyblade in the ground, used it for balance, leaped in the air, and hit both Shadows with a split kick. Sora didn't have time to be amazed. He blocked the claws of a Shadow and punched it. He felt one on his leg and hit it with a back kick. He lowered himself and twirled the keyblade over his head. The blade sliced six Shadows in a couple twirls. He saw another group of Shadows appearing right in front of him. He stuck the keyblade in the ground again, swung himself back, and slid himself into the group of Shadows. He twirled the keyblade to get all of them and finished off the last one with a powerful kick.

Alex and Sora backed up until their backs met.

"Duck!"

Alex ducked and Sora sliced a Shadow over his head.

"Jump!"

Sora jumped and Alex stabbed his sword between Sora's legs to get a Shadow that was underneath him.

"Duck!"

Alex felt Sora roll over him and hit two Shadows with a double kick.

"Jump!"

Sora leaped and saw Alex mow through a bunch of Shadows.

The two fought in a tag-team effort for five minutes straight. Eventually, they destroyed all the Shadows. They stood there breathing heavily. Adrenaline was streaming through their bodies.

"You got some nice moves with that key," Alex said.

"You're not so bad yourself with that sword," Sora said.

They both looked at the sky. The dark orb was still there.

"What is that thing doing?" Sora wondered.

"I have no idea," Alex said. He turned to the ocean. "Jeeeeeeesuuuuuussssss!"

Sora heard Alex scream and turned.

The ocean had turned entirely black. The blue was no longer there. The water began to sprout yellow eyes everywhere. They covered the entire ocean. It was an ocean of Shadows.

"We are so screwed," Alex said.

"C'mon," Sora said. "Let's go to the secret place."

Alex nodded and the two of them raced from the beach to the crack in the rock. Alex heard the millions of Shadows begin to come after them. How would they fight against something like that? They couldn't.

Sora and Alex ducked to enter and ran as fast as they could through the tunnel. They eventually made it to the cavern. What they saw made them stop.

"Kairi!" Alex yelled in surprise.

Kairi turned to them. Her face was completely pale. Her expression was absolute stone. She looked like she had trouble walking.

"Alex," she slurred the words out. She began to walk over to them slowly. She reached out her arm to garb them. Alex had a brief flashback to Riku.

Suddenly, the door at the end of the cavern opened up. Dark smoke poured out of it and wind began to push Alex and Sora. Alex looked up to see Kairi's body flying toward him. He stretched out his arms to catch her. Just as their bodies made contact, Kairi's body disappeared. Alex looked up in surprise. The wind overtook them and Alex and Sora went flying back out of the cavern.

Alex didn't know where he would land. He just hoped it didn't hurt. The wind turned his body around just in time for him to brace for impact. He fell on sand, so he figured he must be on the beach. What he saw corrected him. He was on a strip of land that was being dragged into the air by the dark orb. Scattered boat parts were on the sides. Vegetation was still in place. He looked down to see the dark ocean of Shadows beneath him. He looked over at the main island. It was in flames and completely overrun by the monsters. Alex gritted his teeth and screamed. He could barely hear himself over the roar of the wind. He felt Sora tap his shoulder. He looked at Sora, who was looking at something that wasn't him. Alex turned around and there standing right in front of them was the gigantic monster from both of their dreams. It looked exactly the same. Face surrounded by tendrils, giant claws, elongated heart in the middle. How did it get here? What was it doing? Why couldn't these things just leave him alone? Alex decided to stop questioning these things and deal with them. He suddenly blamed the monster for everything that was going wrong. That blame led to anger that Alex had never felt before. He looked at Sora. He nodded. The two boys pulled out their weapons, issuing a mental challenge to the monster. This was for Riku, for Kairi.

"Yippie ki yay!" Alex screamed and leaped at the monster, with Sora right behind him.

The monster immediately shot its fist out like lightning. The two boys dodged to both sides. The monster tried to crush Sora, but he rolled out of the way. Alex used the distraction to jump in the air and strike its hand. The monster turned to Alex and tried to slap him out of the way. Alex ducked the hand and cut its arm. Sora started to hack at its leg. The creature noticed this and kicked Sora. Sora almost fell off the edge, but the wind stopped him. Alex kept slashing away at the hand. The monster put his hand to the ground and swept up a wave of sand. The sand blasted Alex and he had to cover his face. He opened them just in time to see Sora pushing him out of the way of the monster's leg. Sora leaped at the monster's right hand and hit it three times in the air. The monster decided to change the game and thrust his hand into the ground. Alex knew what it was going to do.

Shadows began to pop out of the dark circle the monster was creating and attacked the two warriors. Alex used the wind to his advantage and just kicked the Shadows. They were nothing but little objects in a big storm. The wind sucked them up and dragged them to the orb. Sora slashed one, spun around to get another one, and finally stabbed the keyblade backward to his right to kill another Shadow. Alex took this opportunity to deliver some good hits to the hand. He killed any Shadows that were created near him. Alex tried to climb up on the hand, but the monster had learned its mistake. It brought its hand back up before Alex could even get on it. He cursed. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Sora tried a new tactic: climbing up its legs. Sora stabbed the keyblade into the monsters leg and used it to climb. The monster roared in pain. Sora had a tough time because of the wind. The monster eventually just kicked its leg out and Sora fell off. The wind carried Sora to a smaller strip of land that was above where Alex and the monster were. This strip of land was so small that it was actually moving in a circle around the big piece of land. Sora knew he could use this to his advantage. The monster began to kneel and Alex knew what came next. White beams started shooting out of the monster's heart shaped hole and this time they came even faster. Alex hid behind a tree to block the shots from hitting. He used the tree as cover and when he saw a beam he would get his sword ready and whack the beam away like a baseball. The beam directed itself back to the monster and it shot it in the head. The monster groaned.

Alex thought he was safe for awhile, until the monster whacked the tree away. The tree started flying in the wind. Alex dodged another fist and slashed it. The monster didn't seem to be affected by this. Alex thought he was done for. Sora saw that Alex was in trouble and made an insane decision. He called upon his new power. He saw the tree the monster had whacked out of its roots coming towards him. When the tree was close enough, Sora leaped from the land and landed on the tree. He stuck the keyblade into it so he wouldn't fall off. The tree made its way back to the monster. Sora got the keyblade out of the tree and jumped off. He landed on the monster's head and stabbed it. Alex looked up to see the monster roaring in pain. He smiled as Sora returned to the ground.

"How did you do that?" Alex yelled through the wind.

"I think the keyblade made me stronger," Sora yelled.

They didn't have any time to discuss because the monster wasn't done yet. The boys just narrowly dodged its foot from smashing them. The monster did something new. It slammed its whole arm into the ground. The boys didn't know what it was doing. The monster pulled something out of the ground. It was a dark orb. It was the mini version of the giant one sucking them up. The monster held it in its hand and the orb just exploded.

Suddenly, small, purple meteors began to rain down from the heavens and strike the floating landmasses. Alex and Sora ran from them and rolled to dodge. One exploded right next to Alex. Another exploded right behind Sora and knocked him off his feet.

"This is insane!" Alex yelled. He was so pumped with adrenaline that he jumped from one landmass to another. He yelled all the way. Sora rolled on the ground on instinct and unknowingly, dodged two meteors. He leaped back up jumped to the landmass opposite Alex. The monster noticed this and started to walk over to them. Alex ran to the very edge of his land. He dodged another meteor. The monster brought his fist down on Sora. Sora leaped over to Alex's land. The monster was slow to respond.

The monster made his way over to Alex's land. The boys quickly sprinted over to the monster's land, barely dodging the monster's fist crashing down on the land they had been on. Alex saw that the meteors had created cracks in the land. He immediately frowned. The cracks gave way and the land was ripped from under the two boys. They both screamed as they felt themselves being pulled to the orb.

Suddenly, something rammed into Sora and Alex and they thought they were back on land. They weren't. They were on the belly of the monster in the air! The monster tried to grab them, but Alex slashed at the hands. Sora drove the keyblade into the stomach of the beast. Alex felt something on his leg. He looked down to see a Shadow and more then one. Sora dodged the monster's hand and made his way to the head. Alex felt the wind pull him into the air and the Shadows along with it. Alex swung his sword like a maniac in the air, hitting the Shadows.

The wind started to tip the monster over and Sora found himself falling to the monster's feet. The direction he didn't want to go. He rammed the keyblade into the monster's flesh and dragged it down to its feet. The monster roared in agony. Sora just started slicing the feet. The monster grew tired and kicked its leg up into the air. Sora was thrown back into the air and whipped around like a rag doll. He caught a quick glimpse of Alex combating flying Shadows and felt gravity take over again. He fell back towards the monster. The monster was back on its belly and saw the boy coming. It thrust its hand into the air, hoping to punch the boy. Sora saw the punch coming. When it was about to hit him, Sora twisted his body, with the help of the wind, to the right. He dodged the fist. Sora whipped out the keyblade and stabbed it into the monster's arm. As he fell, the keyblade dragged in the monster's arm. Sora landed straight on the monster's face.

"Take this you freak!" Sora screamed and plunged the keyblade into the monster's eye. The monster roared over the wind and Alex had to shield his ears.

He was fighting airborne Shadows that had gone in the air with him. One landed on his face. Alex clawed at the Shadow and whacked it off. He slashed one that was right above him. Another cut him in the stomach and Alex punched it. His body was spinning in the air. He kicked off a Shadow and landed on a very small landmass. He grabbed it and used it like a boogie board. He slashed the Shadows that came near him and did his best to ride the wind. He could barely keep a good grip.

Sora rammed into Alex and both of them looked at the sky. The orb was right above them. The two boys screamed as they were thrust into the orb. Alex felt a great pulling sensation. He screamed, but he heard no sound. The pulling sensation grew greater and greater until Alex was completely knocked out. The orb disappeared and transported Alex and Sora to nowhere.

* * *

Dark Alex watched the entire show. He was impressed with Alex. He had obviously been training. He looked down at the body that lay before him. It was Kairi's body. He smiled.

"I think I'll send you to the right people," Dark Alex grinned.

He created a portal in front of him. Kairi's body flew through the portal and he closed it. Dark Alex looked at the sight all around him. The entire community of Destiny Islands had lost their hearts. There was nothing left, but empty houses. He had enjoyed this raid tremendously. All the dead bodies were just lying there. The rolling hills that were once grass were now bodies of people. Each one of them had expressions of horror on their face. Dark Alex had enjoyed every minute of killing them. These people just had a bad day.

"Alex, my dear old friend," Dark Alex whispered. "Your day is coming!"

Dark Alex laughed like a maniac and with a snap of his fingers disappeared, leaving an island of the dead that would stay silent forever.


	6. Traverse Town

Chapter 6: Traverse Town

Donald and Goofy arrived at Traverse Town in a three hour trip. Along the way, Donald filled Jiminiy in on what they were doing. The cricket was able to record it in his journal. Donald set the ship on auto-pilot in order for him and Goofy to change clothes. Donald put on a blue cap and a blue shirt that had two zippers going down the front and had small pouches in it for carrying things. Donald didn't wear pants. Goofy had on a green turtleneck sweatshirt that wrapped around his scrawny neck, a black zippered vest over that which also contained pouches for items, light brown pants that were held to his body by a black belt, and big, brown shoes.

They had parked the Gummi Ship at the world entrance and entered through the big double doors. They entered the first district of Traverse Town. The first district was where most of the stores were. They walked into a small square that had many street lamps illuminating the area. To their left was a little cafe' that had outside tables with candles on it. Straight in front were stairs to an accessory shop. An entrance to an item shop was to the left of that. More stairs were on the right side of the accessory shop which led to an even higher level that had the entrance to the next district.

"Donald look, a star's going out!" Goofy said.

Donald followed Goofy's finger and looked up. He was right. Donald saw two stars blink out one by one. They didn't have much time left.

"C'mon let's hurry," Donald suggested.

Goofy nodded in reply and the two of them along with Pluto began to explore the town.

"Where the heck is this key?" Donald complained.

"Hey you know, maybe we outta go find Leon," Goofy suggested.

The two of them walked up the stairs to the accessory shop. Pluto began to branch out and go to a dark alleyway that was past the item shop. He was sniffing the ground. Goofy knew he was looking for something. He had to tell Donald.

"Hey uh Donald, you know I betcha that-uh," Goofy began to say.

Donald cut him off. "Aw what do you know ya big palooka!"

Goofy actually questioned that. "What do I know?" He stopped thinking about it because his head hurt.

"C'mon Pluto!" Goofy yelled and ran to catch up with Donald.

Pluto didn't come. He was on the trail of something. It was a smell he had never smelt before. He had to know what it was. The dog traveled deeper and deeper into the alley until he found what he was looking for. A boy. Two of them actually. Pluto went over to the closest one and licked him. The boy fluttered his eyes.

"I don't want the pony," the boy muttered.

Pluto didn't know what that meant. He just wanted the boy to get up. This time he jumped on the boy.

"Holy crap!" the boy exclaimed. This wasn't a dream.

Alex Bane got up from the ground, stretching his sore limbs. He saw that Sora was right next to him. Alex wasn't as nice as the dog. He slapped Sora right in the face.

"Owww!" Sora yelled.

"Keep your voice down you idiot," Alex whispered.

"The last thing I remember was getting pulled in by that orb of doom," Sora said. "Where did it take us?"

"I have no idea," Alex responded. He was hesitant to look around, but decided that was the only way to find out where they were.

"C'mon let's get out of this alley before someone mugs us," Alex exclaimed.

He pulled Sora to his feet and the two of them began to walk.

"My body hurts like hell," Sora complained.

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "Fighting King Kong in the air will do that."

They rounded the corner and got their first look at their new surroundings. Their eyes opened wide at the sight that lay before them. They were in a completely different place.

"This is totally weird," Sora explained. "We're in another world."

"Thank you Captain Obvious," Alex muttered. "I couldn't have figured that out for myself."

"Must be some sort of town." Sora guessed.

"So where are all the people?" Alex wondered. They wandered into the square, looking around to see if they could find anybody.

"Hello? Anybody?" Alex raised his voice. No answer.

"This place is a ghost town," Sora said.

"Maybe someones in the store," Alex suggested. He pointed to the accessory shop.

"Let's check," Sora nodded.

They walked back up the steps and entered the shop. The shop was small. To the right was a fireplace and a brick chimney. Leather benches sat in front of it. The middle of the room had a display case that held all sorts of jewelry that sparkled. At the left was a green counter. Standing in the back of it was a man. The man was wearing a tight, white shirt that showed off his muscles, blue jeans, goggles that a pilot would wear on his head, and his blond hair was stuck up like Wakka's, only much shorter. He was smoking a cigarette and had his hands on his hips. He had a slight beard growing which gave the impression that he was older than he seemed.

Alex shook the thought of Wakka out of his head because he might start crying and walked over to him.

The man acknowledged them. "Hey there how can I...aw it's just some kids, damn."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean gramps?" Alex asked, forcefully.

"Nothing, jeez simmer down okay," the man held up his hands. "What can I help you guys with? You look kinda lost."

"Yes," Sora said. "Just tell us, what is this place?"

The man looked as if he had been hit by an anvil.

"You're kiddin' me right," the man said.

"Tell us already!" Alex demanded.

"Fine," the man said. "You are in Traverse Town. Think of it as an intergalactic rest stop. This place has everything a person could want. Hotels, clubs, shops, everything. Why do you think it's called Traverse Town? Because people traverse through it all the time. It's a great place to start a business."

"Huh," Alex scratched his chin. "So do people like us come around here often?"

"You kidding me," the man said. "Everyone knows about this place. Even if they hadn't been here. Now I've answered your questions, so you're gonna answer mine. Who are you guys? Oh by the way, the name's Cid."

Alex and Sora began to tell Cid their entire story. About the islands, the dreams, their friends, and about how all of that had been snuffed away by the creatures. Cid didn't interrupt. He hung on to every word they said.

"Damn," Cid grunted. "That sucks."

"We know," Alex muttered.

"I didn't tell you guys this yet, but people have been starting to appear at Traverse Town. They've said that their homes were destroyed and they were brought here. I didn't say anything before because I didn't know who you were."

Sora turned to Alex. "Do you think that Riku and Kairi could have been one of those people?"

Alex smiled. "They might have been."

Alex and Sora began to run out of the store.

"Hey," Cid called after them. "Where are you guys goin'?"

"To find our friends," Alex responded.

"Well if you need any help, just come to me," Cid grinned. "I'll look out for you."

Alex and Sora nodded a thanks and exited the store. They began to run up the stairs and got to the double doors.

"This must lead to the second district," Alex guessed. He pushed the doors forward and entered.

The second district was much larger then the first. It also didn't have as many lights. It had two levels. Right as the boys entered, the top level forked left and right. The right path went past displays of shoes and houses and led to stairs that led down to the lower level. The left path was longer and went past a hotel and led all the way up to big white building that looked like a mini castle. The lower level was a flat, wide open space. It had benches and at the very front of it was a fountain that had mosaics in its background. A wooden door was by the fountain. Bigger buildings were on this lower level. Alex guessed that they were more hotels or clubs.

Alex was about to take a step forward when a man ran out in front of him, running like the devil himself was after him. The man tripped on the ground and fell. He quickly turned on his back. His face was completely pale and the look on his face was absolute terror. Alex had seen that expression before. Suddenly, the man's chest began to glow. The man screamed. Something was coming out of his chest.

"What is this?!" Sora said.

"I know what this is," Alex growled. It was something he would never forget.

The man's chest glowed even more until a glowing heart popped out. The heart was a mix of red, pink, and purple. The colors were constantly moving. It glimmered in the night. Sora was pretty sure his jaw had touched the floor. The heart began to float the other way and the man's body disintegrated. Alex looked over to see the heart float over to a creature with yellow eyes. This one wasn't a Shadow, though. This one was almost as tall as Sora. Its body was blue, had red claws, and was wearing a knight's helmet. The eyes were visible through the helmet's open visor.

The heart was absorbed into the soldier monster and the monster disappeared. Alex and Sora just stood there, staring at where the man's body used to be. Alex ran out to the center of the fork. He quickly looked around for more creatures.

Right on cue, Shadows began to pop out of the ground.

"They're here too," Alex complained. "Have these things invaded everywhere?"

"All we can do is fight," Sora said.

The boys reached for their weapons. They weren't there!

"We must have lost them in the storm," Alex said.

"We are so dead," Sora said.

The Shadows began to inch towards the boys. They couldn't fight with their fists, they would get overrun. Alex closed his eyes and prayed for something to come. He felt something in his hands. The sword!

"Yaaaaaa!" Sora looked up to see Alex charging at the Shadows like a maniac. Alex was overcome by complete euphoria. He sliced and diced the Shadows until he was being showered with black mist.

"How did you do that?" Sora asked, amazed.

"I don't know," Alex said. "I just prayed and it came."

"Maybe that'll work for me too," Sora began to pray for the Keyblade to come to him. He held out his hand. It appeared in a flash of light.

"Oh my God! It worked," Sora squealed in delight.

"This is so awesome," Alex explained. "Now whenever we lose our weapons, we can just will them to come back to us. I feel like a Jedi."

"What's a Jedi?" Sora asked.

Alex cursed himself for making a slip-up like that.

"Awesome warrior," Alex lied. "I read it in a book somewhere."

"Where should we look first?" Sora asked.

"How about the hotel? They could be taking a rest. Your home isn't blown up every day."

"Let's check it," Sora said.

The boys walked to the left walkway and before they got to the door, they were attacked by Shadows. By this time, Alex and Sora were well accustomed to fighting these creatures. They made short work of them and entered the hotel.

Right as they had entered, Donald Duck and Goofy opened the doors to the second district. They took a look at their surroundings, keeping a good lookout for people with over sized keys.

"Where is this key?" Donald asked himself, angrily.

"I can't see him anywhere Donald," Goofy said. Donald wasn't surprised.

"Keep looking," That was about all they could do.

The hotel was one long hallway that led to different rooms that were established by color. Tables sat on the opposite wall that had flowers. The doors were colored red, green, blue, orange, and others.

"Well this isn't good for safety," Alex muttered.

"Why?"

"Well if someone was trying to kill you in your hotel room, all they'd have to do was know what your favorite color was."

Sora laughed. That was Alex. Always thinking outside the box.

At the very end of the hallway was a counter. Alex smiled and ran over to it. The counter was small and had a bell on it. Alex pressed the bell repeatedly.

"Yo! Hotel person! You there?" No response.

"Alex," Sora began. "People are probably hiding from those creatures. That's why no one is outside."

"But the creatures can come indoors," Alex said. "So why haven't they?"

Alex looked behind Sora and found his answer. Shadows started to appear.

"I know I have a heart of gold, but this is just ridiculous!" Alex said.

They drew their weapons and began to mow through the small hordes of Shadows. They were gone in ten seconds. The boys decided to get out of the hotel and take their chances outside. Shadows would appear in front of them and they would get run over by Sora's gigantic sneakers. The boys ran up the stairs and headed into the white building. As soon as they entered, they shut the door and peered out the door window.

Donald and Goofy opened the doors of the inn after just searching it.

"Where is this Leon?" Donald said.

"Leeeeeooooon!" Goofy yelled at the top of his lungs.

Alex and Sora looked at each other.

"Are they gone?"

"I think so."

They turned around with a sigh of relief. It looked like they had just walked into Candyland. The room before them was a direct contrast to the whole of Traverse Town. The floor was painted in pink and white triangles. The wall was different shades of yellow. In the room were three stone segments that held gears which were moving. This place had some mechanical importance.

"Looks like the fun house at a carnival," Alex said.

Suddenly, four of the soldier creatures appeared in the room. They saw the boys and raked their claws on the ground to show how sharp they were.

"I take that back," Alex groaned. "This is more like a death house."

The Soldiers leaped at them. Alex ducked to dodge the red claws. He elbowed the Soldier in the gut. The Keyblade flashed into Sora's hand and he began to swing at the Soldiers. A Soldier swung its claws at Sora. Sora swung upward to cut the claws off, but the Keyblade just banged against them. He parried another set of claws. Alex ran forward and hit a Soldier with his shoulder. He swiped the sword at its head, but the metal helmet was too strong. The Soldier raked its claws on Alex's chest. Alex leaped back to see that he was cut. Another Soldier swiped at his head. Alex brought the blade to block and it clanged against the claw. The Soldier maneuvered its claw to lock the sword. Alex pulled, but couldn't get it out. The Soldier tugged the sword out of Alex's grip and threw it out of the way. Alex front kicked the Soldier in the chest and it fell back. Alex threw his hand out and the sword flew back. He stabbed the sword into the stomach of the Soldier and it disappeared in black mist.

Sora sliced at the Soldiers, but they just blocked with their claws. He ducked one of the claws and punched its owner. Sora punched it in the head, but also in the helmet. Sora gritted his teeth in pain. He felt like he broke all of his fingers. One of the Soldiers grabbed the Keyblade and spun it to one side, taking Sora with it. Sora crashed into the wall and fell to the floor. He looked up to see the Soldier coming for him. He stuck the Keyblade in the ground, leaned against the wall, and leaped into the air, hitting the Soldier in the gut with two kicks. He leaped forward and sliced the Soldier in half. There were only two left. One for each of them.

Alex swung to the Soldier's side. It blocked with the metal claws. Alex swung to the other side. This time, it grabbed the sword and swung it in a circle, trying to get Alex off. Alex just twisted his body around so he wouldn't get his arms pulled off. He used the momentum of the spin so when he was facing the Soldier again he swung with everything he had. The sword was pulled from the Soldier's grip and cut its leg completely off. The Soldier still hopped on one leg, swinging its claws wildly. Alex backed away and waited for it to stop. Alex kicked at the Soldier. It brought both its hands down to block, but it was a fake and Alex sliced its head clean off. The body and the head dissolved.

Sora took the last Soldier. He thrust the Keyblade at its head. The Soldier twisted its head to the side to dodge. Sora immediately struck horizontally. The Soldier brought its head to its shoulder, dodging the strike. It went on the offensive and punched. Sora went on complete instinct and did a complete flip over the creature. He turned around to be kicked in the face by the Soldier and flew back. He dug his feet into the ground for traction. He didn't want to hit the wall again. He used the traction to charge and tackle the Soldier. The Soldier crashed into the wall, along with Sora. Sora swung the Keyblade. The Soldier parried with its claws. It grabbed the Keyblade again and wrenched it from Sora's grasp. Sora dodged more claw strikes and rolled to get some room. He saw the Keyblade behind the Soldier. The Soldier began to walk toward Sora, thinking it had won. It hadn't. Sora willed the Keyblade to come and it flew back to him, disintegrating the Soldier along the way.

The two boys looked at each other, breathing heavily. Up until now, they had thought that the only types of creatures were the really small ones and the really big ones.

"There's even more of them," Alex said it like he couldn't believe it.

"If we have to fight more of those things, we're dead meat," Sora explained.

"Let's go back to Cid's."

"Agreed. We can rest there."

The boys ran all the way back to the First District and entered Cid's shop all out of breath.

"Wow!" Cid exclaimed. "Did you guys just fight in a war?"

"Almost," Alex replied. "Do you have any sorts of bandages?"

"I have something even better," Cid smiled. He ducked behind his counter and pulled out a small bottle. It had green fluid in it.

"Ugh," Sora said in disgust. "What is that?"

"This my friend is one of the most useful items in the world," Cid explained. "It's a potion."

"What kind of potion?" Alex asked.

"A healing potion," Cid said. "Just drink this sucker and you'll feel better almost instantly. It heals almost any wound and gives you your energy back. Want some?"

Alex and Sora nearly stampeded Cid over to get the bottle. They both took sips from it so both of them could have some. Alex waited and realized that Cid was right. He was feeling a lot better. He felt like he could take on an army. He checked his cuts. They were gone. There weren't even any scars.

"That's quite a cocktail you got there Cid," Alex smiled. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Cid said. "I don't know what you guys are up to, but you seem nice enough."

"We didn't find our friends though," Sora frowned.

"You haven't checked in the Third District yet, have you?" Cid asked.

"I didn't even know there was a Third District," Alex said.

"Well what are you standing around here for?" Cid grinned. "Go, find your friends. The entrance is to the left of the stairs when you come out of this store. You can't miss it."

The boys said thanks again and exited the store.

"They will come at you out of nowhere."

Alex and Sora turned to see who spoke. "Who are you?"

The man was tall and well-built. He had long, brown hair that came down to his shoulders and spiked out a little. He was wearing a white muscle shirt and over that, a small, black jacket. He had a necklace which had the insignia of a lion and a cross molded together. He wore black pants that had three different kinds of belts around the waist and black gloves. He had a scar, diagonally cut above his nose.

Alex and Sora weren't looking at his clothes. They were looking at the sword he was carrying. It was like no sword they had ever seen before. The blade of it was straight and then curved a little at the top. It was a pretty big blade too, but the handle was the strangest part. The blade was attached to a giant version of a six shooter. The handle, the chamber, and the trigger were all there, but where the barrel of the gun would be, there was the blade. It was a gunblade.

"That's a big-ass sword!" Alex exclaimed.

The man continued like he didn't hear him,"And the creatures will keep coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade."

Sora summoned it in his hands and looked at it. He had picked the right name.

"But why, why would it choose a kid like you?" He shook his head. He almost looked ashamed.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked, annoyed.

"Never mind." The man began to walk forward and held out his hand. "Now let's see that Keyblade."

"Are you kidding me?" Alex intervened. "This can kill those things. There's no way we're letting you get this."

"All right," the man swung his sword in front of him. "Then have it your way."

Alex didn't know what this guy wanted with the Keyblade and he didn't care. Sora had to have something to defend himself. He drew his sword and charged the man.

Alex ran forward with a vertical strike. The man stepped off to the side and dodged it completely. Alex twisted his body around and struck horizontally. The man jumped completely over that. Alex lunged forward. The man just sucked his stomach in so it wouldn't cut him.

Alex was amazed at how fast this guy was. He was also annoyed. He started to strike quicker. The man ducked, weaved, and stepped away from the blows, but he knew he was going to have to block sooner or later. That moment came when Alex got him with a fake and swung to his side. The man blocked with the gunblade.

"Now!" Alex yelled.

The man turned quickly to see Sora leaping at him. He brought the blade from his side to the air and parried Sora's blow. Sora spun around and lunged. The man swiped the Keyblade away and went on the offensive. He swung at Sora. Sora blocked the blow, but had to use both his hands to hold the Keyblade in place. This guy was strong! He swiped at Sora's head. Sora blocked the blow and kicked with his left foot. The man saw the kick coming and blocked it. He countered with his own kick and this one hit home. Sora rolled down the stairs into the main part of the First District.

The man walked toward Sora and was ready to deliver the finishing blow when he was tackled by Alex. He had forgotten about the other boy! The two of them quickly got up. The man jabbed at Alex twice. Alex blocked twice and grabbed the sword with his other hand to block a vertical strike. Alex faked a kick and did a spin cut. He was surprised to feel his sword being blocked. The man pushed down on Alex's sword so it hit the ground. The man was surprised to feel Alex's fist hit his face. He countered with a round-house kick, but Alex caught it. He pulled the man forward and he fell on the ground. Alex took this opportunity to get his sword.The man kicked Alex in the back and he crashed into the cafe tables. Alex tasted blood in his mouth.

The man turned around in time to see Sora attacking. Their swords locked and the man pushed his blade and the Keyblade forward. Sora ducked to dodge his blade and the gunblade. He spun around and swung upward. The man blocked horizontally and thrust his fist out. The jab caught Sora on the mouth and he stepped back. Sora brought his hand down to block a kick and flicked the Keyblade at the man's face. The man did a quick parry, spun around, and sliced straight down. Sora dodged narrowly and the blade hit the brick ground. Sora tried to back fist the man in the face, but he blocked it and was about to hit Sora with a crescent kick.

Alex blocked the kick and punched the man in the gut. He looked at Sora and nodded. Sora did too. Until now, they had been attacking him individually, now they would do it together. They wasted no time in striking. Alex struck at the man's side and Sora at his head. The man quickly blocked both strikes and another at his legs. Sora parried a strike from the man and Alex blocked the sword from his chest. Even with the combined strengths of the two of them, he was still blocking their attacks.

The man felt the Keyblade swing past his face and he backed up to the stairs. The boys took this moment to catch their breath. The man began to hold his gunblade straight out. Alex knew what he was going to do and that is what saved Sora.

"Move!" Alex yelled, just as the man pulled the trigger to his weapon. A fireball shot from the chamber, aimed at Sora. Alex pushed him out of the way and got hit instead. Alex hit the ground, only slightly burned because he threw his sword up to block at the last second.

"Alex!" Sora yelled.

"You never stood a chance against me," the man said, calmly.

Sora gritted his teeth and charged the man. He got his gunblade ready and shot another fireball. This time Sora kept running. He readied his Keyblade and whacked the fireball.

"Right back at ya!"

The man was taken completely by surprise and was struck by the fireball. He was thown back into a brick wall and cracked it.

"Oooof." The wind was knocked out of him.

He looked to see Sora running towards him, Keyblade raised high. The man simply smiled and shot another fireball. It struck Sora head on and he fell on the stairs.

The man got up to survey the situation. Both of the boys were knocked out. He smiled to himself.

"Aw you're slipping Leon."

The man known as Leon turned around around to see one of his friends. Her name was Yuffie.

"I went easy on them," Leon said. "I gotta admit though. Both those kids aren't too bad."

"If they can survive a round with you, I'm sure," Yuffie said.

"Even so," Leon said. "It looks like things are worse then we thought. A lot worse."

* * *

Donald and Goofy had searched every inch of the town and they couldn't find anyone with a big key. They were traveling down a dark alleyway. It had neon lights that shined through the darkness. The sound of the waterways were almost comforting.

"Gawrsh, there's nobody here," Goofy trembled. "Sure is spooky."

Donald shook his head. "Aw phooey I'm not scared." He believed it too, until someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Donald leaped thirty feet in the air and landed on Goofy.

"Excuse me, but did the King send you?"

Donald and Goofy looked to see who had scared them. It was a woman. She was in a pink and red dress with brown boots. She had long brown hair that was curled and in a ponytail. She had many bracelets on one wrist, but none on the other. She had green eyes that could show no evil. Donald and Goofy stared at her with interest.

"You know the King?" Goofy asked.

"Yes, my name is Aerith and you must come with me," Aerith beckoned.

"Why should we do that?" Donald asked, suspicious.

Aerith's eyes sparkled. "Because I know what happened to your King."


	7. Showdown

Chapter 7: Showdown

"Come on you lazy bum, wake up!"

Alex's eyes fluttered open. He was suddenly aware of the pain his body was in. He remembered pushing Sora out of the way of a fireball and that was the last he remembered. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he had been hit. He could feel that he was on a bed. He put his arms back and pushed himself up, shaking his head to get over the feeling of waking up after being knocked out. This was a talent that Alex was used to getting into. He turned his head to see who spoke and got the most pleasant surprise. It was Kairi!

She leaned down. "Are you okay?"

Alex shrugged. "I guess."

"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade. As long as you stay with its wielder, they will keep coming for you. It's the heart of the Keyblade wielder they want and they will take yours too."

Alex already knew they took hearts, even if he didn't get it. How did that tie in to the Keyblade though? That man had said the same thing. What was so important about the giant key?

Alex got back to the matter at hand. "I'm really glad that you're okay Kairi."

Kairi stood back, alarmed. "Kairi? Who are you talking about. I'm the great ninja Yuffie."

Alex frowned. Who the heck was Yuffie? Why was Kairi acting so strangely? He realized that Kairi looked a little fuzzy and he still felt dazed. He shook his head as hard as he could and opened his eyes again. This time he was greeted with the real sight. Yuffie had short hair like Kairi's, but it was black. She had a yellow scarf around her neck, a green sleeveless top that was held to her shoulders by blue straps, khaki short shorts, and yellow fingerless gloves. She smiled at Alex and turned around.

"I think you might have overdone it a bit Squall," she said.

"That's Leon."

Alex looked past Yuffie to see the man who had almost killed him standing there. He jumped up in surprise.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Alex yelled.

"You aren't the one who should be asking the questions right about now," Leon said.

Alex lost it. "Screw you! I've just had my second home taken away from me from creatures I know nothing about, Sora gets this giant key, Leon over here tries to kill us, and now you're trying to tell me that it attracts those monsters. I have the right to ask you any questions I want you jerk and you better answer them!"

Leon was a little surprised by the outbreak. He just figured these kids had gotten into this by accident. Now he realized that there was more to their story than it appeared.

Alex heard groaning and turned around. Sora was just waking up. He opened his eyes wide and saw Leon.

Sora leaped from the bed. "Are you gonna try to kill us again?"

"No," Leon said. "That was just a misunderstanding."

"Yeah," Sora said. "A really painful one." He looked around the room some more and found the Keyblade resting against the wall.

"The Keyblade!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah," Yuffie explained. "We had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures."

"Why?" Sora looked at Alex.

"These guys say that's how they were able to track us," Alex explained.

"Getting the Keyblade from you was the only way to conceal your heart from them," Leon said. "But it won't work for long."

"Why won't it work?" Alex asked.

"The creatures know the scent of your hearts," Leon explained. "They can find you."

"Well, I sure didn't ask for this Keyblade," Sora said. "If you want it it's all yours!"

"The Keyblade chooses its master," Yuffie said. "And it chose you."

"Yeah," Leon smiled to himself. "Kinda hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one."

Leon grabbed the Keyblade and swung it in the air horizontally. The Keyblade disappeared in a flash and reappeared in Sora's hands.

"Well," Leon said. "I suppose beggars can't be choosers."

"Hey smart guy why don't you start making some sense," Sora demanded. "What's going on here?"

* * *

"Okay," Aerith began. "You know there are many other worlds out there besides your castle and this town, right?"

Aerith had led the duo to her hotel room, which was opposite Leon's.

"Yeah," Donald nodded. "Everyone knows that."

"But aren't they supposed to be a secret?" Goofy covered his mouth.

"Well they've been secret because they have never been connected," Aerith explained. "Until now."

"What happened?" Goofy asked.

"When the Heartless came," Aerith said. "Everything changed." She closed her eyes to hold back tears.

* * *

"The Heartless?" Sora asked.

"That's what those creatures are called?" Alex said.

"The name is pretty self-explanatory," Leon said. "Those without hearts."

"The darkness in people's hearts, that's what attracts them," Yuffie explained.

"And there is darkness within every heart," Leon said.

"Gee thanks for the pick-me-up," Alex grinned.

"To put it simply," Leon said. "They are people's hearts that have been corrupted by darkness and have no physical form or soul. They reproduce by taking other people's hearts and turning them into Heartless. That is all they know."

Alex was relieved to finally hear the whole story. It all made sense now. The taking of the hearts and why they were coming after them. He thought that would be all of it until Yuffie asked a question.

"Hey, have you ever heard of someone named Ansem?"

* * *

"Ansem?" Goofy scratched his chin.

"He was a man who was studying the Heartless," Aerith explained. "He recorded all his findings in a very detailed report."

Donald tapped his foot on the ground, waiting for her to give it to them.

"Gawrsh, uh, can we see it?" Goofy asked, politely.

Aerith shook her head. "It's pages are scattered. No one knows where they are."

Donald couldn't contain his frustration. "Scattered?!"

"To another world probably," Aerith suggested.

Goofy had an epiphany. "Oh, then maybe the King went to find them."

Donald turned to Goofy and nodded, surprised that Goofy thought of that before he did.

Aerith nodded as well. "Yes, those were my thoughts exactly."

"We gotta find him and quick!" Goofy exclaimed and was about to leave.

"Wait Goofy!" Donald jumped up and down. "Remember what the King said in the letter. First we need that key."

"That's right," Aerith said. "The Keyblade."

* * *

"So this is the key," Sora said, holding it in front of him in the air.

Yuffie nodded. "Exactly."

"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade," Leon began to lean against the door. "And that is why they are going to keep coming after you no matter what."

"Wait, let me get this straight," Alex said. "They are going to keep coming after us because we have a weapon that they fear? Why would they want to mess with a guy who can kill them in one swipe?"

"The only way that the Heartless can ever be truly free to harvest on the hearts of everyone is to take the life of the Keyblade wielder," Leon explained. "So tough luck."

"They're gonna keep coming after me?" Sora asked, starting to get a little scared. "How did all this happen? I remember being in my room...OH! Wait a minute! What happened to our home, the island, Riku, Kairi?"

Leon just closed his eyes. "You know what, I really don't know."

Sora hung his head. Alex just sat on the bed.

"You are going to have to make a choice," Leon said, standing in front of them. "This will probably the most important decision you will ever make."

Alex and Sora got up and stared at Leon.

"Make no mistake," Leon said. "Sooner or later, the Heartless will find you. Both of you.You can't run. You can't hide. The only thing you can do is prepare yourself.

"For what?" Alex asked, afraid of the answer.

Leon looked at them with his brown eyes. "To fight for your lives."

Alex and Sora looked at each other, trying to find confidence.

"So the question is," Leon began. "Are you ready to fight for your lives?"

Alex's mind went blank. What kind of question is that? Of course he would fight for his life. But then he realized, that the Heartless weren't after him. They were after Sora. He was the one who was the Keyblade master. The Heartless wanted his heart. As long as he stayed away from Sora he would be fine. Alex thought about it, but immediately dismissed it. Sora was his best friend. There was no way that he was going to leave him alone in this fight. Alex's mind flashed back to the night of his parent's murder. They were killed by these things. He didn't want Sora to be killed because he was too much of a coward to fight them. He had been running for too long. It was time to fight back.

"Yes," Alex answered. "I am."

Sora stared at Alex. So did Leon.

"C'mon," Alex grinned. "With the two of us fighting these things, they've got no chance in hell, which is exactly where we are going to send them."

Sora smiled. "I'm ready too."

Leon smiled for the first time and Yuffie stared at them in an admirable way.

"Okay then," Leon said. "That's just what I wanted to hear." He turned to Yuffie.

"Yuffie," Leon said. "Let's meet up with Aerith. She should be here by now with the other visitors."

Sora didn't even have a chance to ask who the other visitors were because Yuffie screamed.

"Leon!"

Forming in the hotel room was a Soldier Heartless.

"Not these guys again," Alex complained.

"Yuffie go!" Leon grabbed his gunblade.

Yuffie burst through the other hotel door, slamming Donald in the process.

"Yuffie, what's going on?" Aerith asked.

"Heartless. Run!" Yuffie grabbed Aerith and pulled her out of the room.

Leon, Sora, and Alex drew their swords. "Guys let's go!"

Leon kicked the Soldier and sent it crashing though the glass window which led to the alleyway. The three warriors leaped from the window, into the alleyway. The jump wasn't that high.

"What should we do now?" Alex asked, slicing a Shadow.

"Don't bother with the small fry," Leon said, parrying the claws. "Go for the head honcho."

"How will we know which one that is?" Sora yelled, kicking a Soldier in the head.

"Believe me you'll know!" Leon grunted.

They finished up the Heartless in the alleyway and went to the Second District.

The Second District was in chaos. The Heartless had gotten into people's homes and they had all run outside. Alex saw the Heartless attacking people right and left.

"We gotta help them!" Alex said.

Leon and Sora nodded and rushed into the fray.

Alex rushed into the center of the square with a battle cry. He slashed two Soldiers before they even knew he was there. He sliced the Shadows that were attacking people. He blocked the claws of a Soldier and stabbed it. Another one tried to come behind him, but Alex stopped it with a back kick. The Soldier fell on the ground and Alex stabbed it. He saw a group of Shadows trying to attack a woman and her child. They had gotten them into a corner.

"Please!" the woman pleaded. "Please don't hurt us!"

"Mommy!" The woman turned around to see a Soldier holding the boy and beginning to suck his heart out.

Alex felt a surge of rage overcome him. He ran as fast as he could and slammed himself into the Soldier. The Soldier dropped the boy. Alex crashed the Soldier against the wall and brought him to his face.

"Oh," Alex said, doing his best Curly impression. "Wise guy huh!"

He took his index and middle finger and jammed them into the Soldier's yellow eyes. The Heartless squealed in pain and disappeared in black mist. Alex turned around and dealt with the smaller Shadows.

"Are you guys all right?" he asked the woman.

"Yes," she said, holding her child. "Thank you."

Alex nodded and rushed into battle again.

Sora now understood the purpose of the Keyblade. It was to kill Heartless. He was really looking forward to carrying out that purpose. He kicked a Shadow and sent it flying. He ducked the claws of a Soldier, twisted to the left, and dug the Keyblade into the Soldier's stomach. He ripped it out to slice another Shadow. Sora saw the Heartless about to attack an elderly man and rushed over. He barreled into the Heartless, slashing the Keyblade in every direction. There was only a Shadow left and he stomped it under his massive sneaker.

"Thank you," the elderly man cried out.

"You're welcome," Sora said and ran away to fight more.

"Oh these youngsters today," the old man sighed.

Alex and Sora were pretty good fighters, but Leon was fantastic. He was killing Heartless right and left. He slashed a Shadow and quickly changed his strike to horizontal to get a Soldier. He leaped in the air higher than a normal human being and stabbed a Soldier when he landed. He kicked a Shadow out of the way. He sliced upward, killed a Shadow, swung it in an arc, brought it to the ground, and sliced a Soldier in half.

Soon enough, all three combatants had cleared the Second District of Heartless.

"Not bad guys," Leon said.

"You're not so bad yourself," Alex complimented. "How did you get so good?"

"Tell you later," Leon promised. "Yuffie, Aerith, and I will take the First District. You guys should take the Third Distirct."

"Gotcha," Sora gave him a thumbs up.

"Good luck," Leon said and headed off to the First District.

"Well, where is the Third District?" Alex asked.

"I think it's in that alley," Sora pointed to it. It was an alley between the stairs leading to the lower level and a building.

"Okay let's go!" Alex yelled.

The two went into the alley, turned a corner, and sure enough, there was the door to the next district. Alex opened it and the two guys went inside.

The third district was generally a big square, quite literally. Alex and Sora entered to a brick level that had a small house on the left, but had stairs to the right that led down to the lower floor. The lower floor was in the shape of a square and had many neon lights that lit up the area. There was a golden fountain in one of the corners. Alex and Sora ran down the stairs and into the square.

High above the square, there was a platform and Donald and Goofy had somehow gotten on it. They had been running from the Heartless and found themselves up here. Goofy looked down to see two boys run into the square. Suddenly he heard a noise and turned around. Two Soldiers had surrounded Donald and Goofy. Donald took out his mage's staff and Goofy took out his knight's shield.

"Gawrsh, are these the heartless guys?" Goofy cowered behind his shield.

Donald wasn't afraid and swung his staff in the air. "Let's go get em, Goofy!"

The next thing they knew, the Soldiers had punched them off the platform. They screamed as they fell to the ground.

Alex and Sora looked up to see who was screaming and tried to get out of the way, but it was too late. Donald and Goofy landed on the two boys. All of them saw stars.

"Hey get off!" Alex yelled.

Donald and Goofy were about to get up, when they saw what Sora was holding.

"The key!" Both of them said at the same time. Alex thought that the voices sounded familiar. Donald and Goofy got off of the boys, excited that they found the key. Sora turned around first and saw a duck and a weird looking dog that were looking at the Keyblade. Alex turned around and was ready to chew, whoever they were, out for falling on them.

Alex stopped breathing. His jaw dropped to the ground. His hands didn't shake. His eyes were drawn wide open. He wasn't sure how he was living because he thought his heart had stopped, when in fact it was beating faster then any normal person. He was just awestruck at the sight that lay before him. He tried to convince himself that it was a dream. He was still recovering from being fell on. He shook his head once. He shook it twice. He shook it three times and nothing changed. He was looking at two of the most famous characters of all time. The characters that he grew up with as a child. He was looking at Donald Duck and Goofy.

Alex fainted. He didn't even remember hitting the ground. The next thing he remembered was waking up from someone slapping his face.

"Alex are you okay?" Sora asked.

Alex looked up at Sora. "Yeah, I'm just tired."

Sora helped him to his feet and Alex got his first real good look at Donald and Goofy.

"Gawrsh are you okay?" Goofy asked.

Alex took awhile to respond. He was just getting used to the fact that a Disney character was asking if he was okay.

"Y-yeah," Alex stuttered

"You gave us quite a scare," Goofy exclaimed.

"Sorry," Alex mumbled.

"Well at least those Heartless are gone," Donald spoke.

Donald was wrong. The whole area began to shake. Alex feared it was going to be an earthquake. His thoughts were soon dashed when stone pillars jutted out of the ground, blocking any exit out of the Third District.

"Well, this can't be good," Alex muttered.

Soldier Heartless began to appear on the pillars and hop down into the square, now turned arena. Alex, Sora, Donald, and Goofy brandished their weapons.

"Hope you guys know how to fight," Sora said.

"Don't worry about us," Donald said. "Goofy stop shaking."

Donald and Goofy had never had to put their combat skills to the test before. Donald had training from Merlin and Goofy had gone to knight's school. Donald had secretly wanted this. A chance to show people and himself that he can do magic and fight. This was the time. Goofy liked peace and was not longing for a chance at combat. He had a quick flash back to his days training as a knight.All the training that he learned came flashing back to him. He was scared, but he had three allies that would look out for him. He was as ready as he ever would be.

The Soldiers formed in a half-moon around them and started to close in slowly, waiting for them to make a move.

"Well, no time like the present. Yeeeeehaaaaaaaaawwwww!" Alex bellowed and sprinted into the Heartless with the trio not far behind him.

Alex, Sora, and Goofy did the close range fighting while Donald struck from long range with his magic. Alex closed in on a Soldier and bashed it with the sword. The Soldier swung its claws at him, but he just dodged them. Alex got the Soldier with a fake to the face and changed his direction to slice his legs.

"Move!" Alex rolled out of the way and looked in time to see the Soldier finished off by a small fireball. He looked to see Donald waving his staff in the air and grinning.

Sora and Goofy fought more closely together. Sora blocked the claws of a Soldier and sliced its leg off when it tried to kick. Goofy finished it off by ramming his shield into the Soldier's face. Goofy punched at a Soldier. The Soldier blocked and countered with a claw strike. Goofy blocked quickly with the shield and caught the Soldier off-guard with a side kick. Goofy was more into fisticuffs.

Donald performed fire spells which worked well against the Soldiers. He locked on one and shouted,"Fire!". A small fireball shot from the end of his staff and met the Soldier with a bang. It was killed instantly. He shot one in front of him and quickly turned to shoot one to his side. He got worried when one got too close and swiped at him. He did the first thing he thought of and blocked the claws with his staff. He quickly shot the Soldier at point blank range.

It didn't take long for the Heartless to be destroyed. Alex finished off the last one with a stab and turned to check on his new comrades. No one was hurt. Alex was impressed with Donald and Goofy. Donald's magic was powerful and Goofy, for all his shaking, kicked some butt. He smiled and couldn't believe that he fought with these guys. He also was relieved that the fight was over. It wasn't.

Something fell from the sky in pieces. It struck the ground and came back up to form. Alex saw that it was giant armor pieces. There were five pieces and they were all different shades of purple. The pieces were the two feet, two arms, and the torso. The arms hung in the air right by the torso and the feet came right under the torso. There was no body in it so, except for the feet, the pieces were floating in the air. A final piece fell from the air. The head. The visor was up so it had no face. The armor looked like it would fit for a big knight. It had an insignia on it which Alex guessed was the mark of the Heartless. A big heart that's pointed at the bottom, with a red "X" in the middle.

"Holy crap," Alex said. He had fought against giant Heartless before, but not giant armor with a mind of its own.

"We can do this," Sora said. "All we need to do is take down the parts one by one. Alex and I will take the feet and you guys take the hands. We'll do the main part last."

The other three nodded and faced the Guard Armor. They held their weapons ready and the armor charged them.

Alex and Sora dodged the armor and started bashing the feet. Donald and Goofy had to leap in the air to get to the hands. The armor turned to them and started to spin its hands all the way around its body at increasing speeds. Goofy was hit by one and went to the ground. Alex was hit and flew across the arena. Donald backed away at the last second. Sora timed it right and jumped in slashing with the Keyblade. The Keyblade struck the arm and stopped the spinning. This was when all the parts of the armor separated from the body. The feet started walking one way, the arms went another way, and the torso and head just stayed in place.

The others got back up and started attacking again. The arms punched at Donald, but he dodged and countered with Fire spells. Goofy blocked a punch with the shield and jumped up to bash the hand. One hand backfisted Goofy, but he blocked most of the blow with the shield. The hands were hit continuously by fireballs until one of the hands swiped at Donald. He was hit by the hand and thrown to the other side of the arena. The hands started to jab at Goofy with its sharp fingertips. Goofy did the best he could to block the jabs, but was cut by one. One hand tried to punch at Goofy's leg, but Goofy jumped in the air and slammed down on it with the shield. Donald got back up, extremely angry. He saw the hand that Goofy pinned down.

"Goofy move!"

Goofy saw Donald and quickly jumped out of the way. The hand tried to get back up, but was hit by a very powerful fireball, courtesy of an angry duck. The hand started to rumble on the ground and it broke into pieces.

"Good goin' Donald," Goofy said, right before he was hit by the other hand.

Donald saw this and became even more enraged. He leaped at the hand and whacked it with the staff. The arm flew back and came for Donald. Donald got his staff ready. The arm was flying straight at him, trying to impale the duck with its fingertips. Donald stood like a bullfighter and waited. Right as the hand came for him, he did a complete flip in the air. As he did the flip, he shot the hand with a fireball. The hand spun out of control and hit the wall. It tried to impale Donald again, but was knocked aside by Goofy. The arm fell to the ground. Goofy leaped into the air and thrust his shield down with all his strength. The arm was destroyed on contact.

"Nice Goofy," Donald said.

"Gawrsh thanks," Goofy smiled.

Alex and Sora were fighting with the feet. Alex rolled and dodged a stomp from one of the feet. He quickly cut it and leaped back. Sora sliced it with the Keyblade which seemed to do a little more damage. A foot tried to kick Sora, but Sora just slashed it with the Keyblade to send it back. Alex dodged a kick from the other foot and tried to stab it. The foot just flipped in the air and came back down. Alex dodged the stomp and stabbed it then.

The feet were suffering damage from the two boys and started to get more vicious. Alex blocked the sharp points on the feet's armor with the sword. They jabbed more and more. Sora blocked two jabs, dodged one, and slashed the foot when it tried a fourth. The feet stopped jabbing and started stomping. The feet began to run after the boys, which if they got close enough would smash them.

"Crap crap crap crap!" Alex yelled as he ran from the feet. He ran as fast as he could in a circle around the square. He ran under the torso and hid under there, but it didn't work. The feet jabbed at him under the torso. Alex was almost stabbed when Sora began to chop them from behind. He started to attack the feet too, but the torso leaned back and hit Alex with its waist. Alex landed right in between the feet.

"Jesus!" Alex rolled like crazy, narrowly dodging being smashed by the feet. He looked up to see one foot about to squash him like a bug. On instinct, Alex thrust his sword into the air, impaling the foot from the bottom. The foot broke into pieces. Sora finished off the other foot with a few quick thrusts.

Now all that was left was the torso. All four fighters attacked the torso at once. Alex and Sora slashed it with blades, Goofy pounded on it with his shield, and Donald pelted it with fireballs. The torso still didn't go down that easy. The torso would lean back and hit them. Donald got hit and Goofy blocked the blow with the shield. Alex kept jumping up and slashing it, until the torso rose in the air and just crashed on the ground. Everyone dodged and fell to the ground from the rumble, but the move proved to be the undoing of the armor. It couldn't get up fast enough. Everyone hit it with their strongest attacks and soon enough, the torso began to rumble. It shook in the air and the head fell off. The last of the armor pieces disintegrated into a white light.

Alex took a deep breath. "Well that was bracing."

The other three nodded and Alex gave them a weak smile. "Now its over."

**"HAHAHAHAHA!"**

Alex jumped in fear and quickly looked around the district. He could see nothing.

"What was that?" Goofy asked, getting scared.

**"HAHAHAHAHA!"**

"Where is that coming from?!" Sora exclaimed.

"Who are you?!" Alex screamed into the night air.

**"You know who I am Alex Bane!"**

Alex immediately started to feel like passing out. He fell to the ground clutching his head. The voice's laughter kept ringing in his head.

"STOP IT!" Alex screamed.

Suddenly, the voice stopped. Alex breathed in short bursts and opened his eyes. He was no longer in the Third District. He wasn't even in Traverse Town.

He was in the place from his dream. The darkness all around him. He was standing on the same stained-glass platform. The sword was in his hands.

"My, my, my Alex you've grown."

Alex recognized that voice. He wasn't even surprised. After seeing Disney characters, it would be hard for anything to surprise Alex from now on.

Alex turned around to see Dark Alex smiling at him.

"What the hell do you want?" Alex growled.

"I wanted to renew our acquaintance," Dark Alex said. "I made such a bad impression at our first meeting. I feel awful about it."

Alex doubted that he was. "So you're a Heartless too."

"Yes I am," Dark Alex said. "About time you learned about us. I was beginning to feel a bit ignored."

"Oh don't worry," Alex said. "I never forgot about you. Not for one second."

"I'm flattered," Dark Alex smiled.

"You can't be my Heartless," Alex explained. "I haven't lost my heart yet."

"Quite correct Alex," Dark Alex explained. "I am in fact not your Heartless."

"Then whose Heartless are you?" Alex wondered.

"Don't you remember my policy," Dark Alex shook his head. "I never give spoilers this early in the game."

"Fine then," Alex drew his sword. "Then I'll just make you talk."

"Oh I like the way you think Alex," Dark Alex grinned and pulled out his own sword. "Just to let you know, you aren't the only one who's gotten better at combat."

"I've waited for this for two long years," Alex growled. "Two long years I thought about what I was going to do to you when I found you. How about cutting you into tiny pieces? That sounds fun!"

"Watch out Alex," Dark Alex smiled. "You're starting to sound like me."

"This is for my family you bastard!" Alex yelled.

"Well bring it on Bane!" Dark Alex screamed. "Show me what you've got!"

The two Alex's ran at each other and their blades clashed.

Dark Alex ran in with a stab, which was parried by Alex and came in for another one. Alex crashed his blade on top of his twin's and punched Dark Alex in the mouth. The evil twin recoiled like a snake and struck just as quickly. Alex blocked the strike and lunged at his stomach. Dark Alex flicked his blade to the side for a quick parry and lunged to the face. Alex twisted his face to the side and blocked vertically. He pushed the blade off of his and sliced vertically. Dark Alex blocked the strike, but the force of the blow brought him to the floor. He saw a kick coming, blocked it, and got back up.

Dark Alex continued the fight with a swing to Alex's side. Alex brought the blade to the side to block, swung his blade and Dark Alex's blade in an arc, and crashed his blade on top. Alex tried to backfist his clone, but he blocked and pulled his blade out from under Alex's. Alex had to bring the blade up quick to block and swung madly at the twin. Dark Alex blocked the first strike, parried the second, ducked the third and dodged the fourth. Alex went in for a fifth, but Dark Alex already swung his blade upward. Alex blocked horizontally and punched again. Dark Alex caught the punch in his hand and pushed Alex's blade up to try to cut off Alex's hand. Alex quickly pulled his hand away and stepped back.

The two circled each other, waiting for someone to make a move. Alex was ready for anything that his clone threw at him. Dark Alex decided to surprise Alex with the same trick and shot a fireball from his hand at him. This time, Alex was ready. He made a quick decision to copy Sora. The fireball came at Alex, but Alex hit the fireball like a baseball. He did the same thing Sora had done to Leon. He expected Dark Alex to be no different. Unfortunately, Dark Alex had expected Alex to do that and he sliced the fireball horizontally. It split in half and disintegrated in the darkness.

"Not gonna work with me Alex," Dark Alex gloated. "I am you after all."

Alex growled and charged. The two went back to swords. Alex faked a lunge and quickly changed to a side slice. Dark Alex barely blocked the slice and he countered with a strike to the head. Alex drove his blade upwards and the two swords clashed. Dark Alex did a quick front kick, which hit Alex in the stomach. Alex breathed deeply to get air back in his lungs and charged again. Dark Alex swung at the legs, which Alex jumped over. As he jumped, he swiped at Dark Alex's head, but the twin blocked it.

Alex was starting to realize that they were equally matched. He decided to make it more up close and personal. Dark Alex charged and swung at Alex. Alex blocked, but immediately stepped in to deliver a punch to the jaw. Dark Alex was taken by surprise and tasted blood in his mouth. He parried two strikes from Alex and countered with two of his own. Alex had to swing his blade to both sides to parry. He followed up with a side kick, but Dark Alex caught it and swung his sword at Alex's vulnerable leg. Alex leaned as far as he could and blocked the blow to his leg. Alex thought quickly to the power that he had gained from the dream. He called on it for strength and he felt it. Alex pushed off with his one leg on the ground. He spun in the air and he kicked Dark Alex in the face.

Dark Alex cried out and blood began to come out of his nose and mouth.

"Impressive Alex," Dark Alex grinned. "You really have been tapping into that power you had. Of course...so have I."

Dark Alex clenched his right fist and with a cry, slammed it into the glass. The glass platform shattered and the ground was removed from the two Alex's. They began to free fall into the blackness.

"This should be fun!" Dark Alex screamed.

Alex turned to see Dark Alex angling towards him and getting closer. Alex took a firm grip on his sword and swung. Dark Alex parried the blade and countered with his own strike. Alex twisted his body and knocked the blade away. Dark Alex grabbed a hold of Alex's feet and pulled him until they were face to face. They began to engage in a battle of freefalling fisticuffs.

Dark Alex grabbed Alex's face. Alex punched the twin in the gut and grabbed his back. Dark Alex headbutted Alex and kicked out with his foot. Alex pushed the twin away so he could block the kick. The two grabbed onto each other again. Alex elbowed Dark Alex in the face. The evil twin countered with a side kick to the chest which pushed Alex away. There was no wind as they fell, so Alex's hair didn't whip in his face.

The two came in contact once more. Dark Alex punched Alex, but Alex scratched his face. The evil twin screamed in pain and crashed his palm against Alex's nose. Alex cried out and kicked the twin away. Alex looked up to see his sword falling right beside him. He reached over and grabbed it. Alex swung his sword, only to be blocked by Dark Alex's. He had retrieved his too!Their bodies twisted in the air as they clashed their swords together.

"Uh-oh! Looks like we're landing," Dark Alex laughed.

Alex looked down to see another stained-glass platform coming up fast. He was sure they were going to die. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain of smashing into glass at God-knows how fast. It didn't come. Alex opened his eyes to see that he was floating down to the platform. Dark Alex was too. They both landed on their feet.

Dark Alex smiled. "Now wasn't that fun. Have you ever been in a better fight? I know you haven't."

Alex just grimaced from his hurt nose. Dark Alex didn't seem to be bothered by the pain.

"Why? Why did you come back?" Alex asked.

"Because I can't be free until you are dead," Dark Alex responded.

"What does that even mean?" Alex said, frustrated.

"You'll find out soon enough," the evil twin said.

The two just stared at each other for the longest time.

Finally Dark Alex said," Pretty big shame about those islands though."

Alex suddenly turned. "How do you know about that?"

"Gee I don't know," Dark Alex mocked. "Maybe because I was the one who led the Heartless."

Alex was shocked. "You were the one who sent the Heartless there?"

Dark Alex held up his hand. "Guilty as charged. It was fun too."

"Fun?" Alex growled.

"Yeah it was," Dark Alex smiled. "Taking people's hearts. The whole island was taken. I can't think about anybody that survived."

Alex stared at the evil twin, getting more angry by the second.

"There was this really funny girl," Dark Alex rambled on. "She thought that I was you and she kissed me. Can you believe that? Hah! I will admit she was cute. Very tasty too. Think her name was Selphie."

"Selphie?" Alex clenched his fist around the sword.

"I took her friends too," Dark Alex explained. "Those two weird looking guys. They fell pretty quickly. Screamed the whole damn time. Didn't they know that it's rude to scream at dinner?"

"Dinner?" Alex's mind was a red haze.

"The tastiest person though wasn't even on the main island," Dark Alex explained. "She was this really cute red-haired girl."

"Kairi?" Alex said.

"Kairi," Dark Alex smiled. "What a beautiful name. She thought I was you too, but I quickly showed her otherwise. Out of all my victims, she was my favorite. The most...tasty!"

Alex had heard and seen some horrible things in his life. He had watched violent crime shows and movies. he thought that nothing could surprise him. But this was just unspeakable. This was the bastard that took Kairi's heart. Alex was filled with uncontrollable rage. He ran at Dark Alex, screaming at the top of his lungs. Dark Alex didn't turn around fast enough and was tackled by Alex. They crashed into the glass floor.

Alex got on top of the evil twin and punched him. He punched again. A third time. A fourth time. He punched again and again until Dark Alex's face was a bloody mess. He was about to punch again when Dark Alex caught it in his hand.

"My turn," Dark Alex gave a bloody grin and pushed Alex off.

Dark Alex kicked Alex in the chest which sent him flying back. He punched him until Alex's face was as bloody as his.

"How does that feel?"

Alex answered with a kick to the head. Dark Alex cried out and stepped back.

"Pretty damn good." Alex answered.

The two Alex's charged each other again. Lightning began to flash in the darkness beyond. It flashed with each blow.

Dark Alex punched at Alex, but it was blocked. Alex came in with a kick, but it was blocked as well. Alex blocked a punch from the twin, faked a kick, and punched Dark Alex in the jaw. Dark Alex immediately countered with a backfist that caused more blood to come to Alex's mouth. Alex blocked two punches and rolled away from an axe kick. Dark Alex kicked him in the back when he tried to get up, but was hit in the stomach by Alex's foot. Lightning continued to flash on the battlefield.

Dark Alex hit Alex with a jab, but was hit in the chest by two more. Alex tried to hit him with a crescent kick, but the twin ducked. As he ducked, he twisted around and stuck his foot out, sweeping Alex's feet out from under him. Alex fell to the ground, but immediately lashed out with a kick that hammered Dark Alex in the chest. Alex went in with another punch, but Dark Alex used the momentum to grab it and trip him. He saw Dark Alex right above him and Alex lashed out with two quick kicks that hit him in the head.

Alex blocked a kick and pushed Dark Alex to the ground. He lashed out with a powerful punch, but Dark Alex rolled out of the way in time. Alex ended up hitting the glass. Alex screamed in pain. Glass had shattered and was in his knuckles. He felt a blow to the head and turned around. He rushed Dark Alex and the two grabbed each other. They could smell each other's breath, they were so close. Alex pushed Dark Alex down and kneed him in the face. Dark Alex yelled and head butted Alex in the gut. Alex recoiled back.

"You broke my nose," Dark Alex gritted his teeth. "You'll pay for that Bane!"

Alex tried punching again, but Dark Alex grabbed his fist and pushed the glass on his hand deeper into his skin. Alex screamed and elbowed Dark Alex in the gut. The wind was knocked out of the evil twin and he was hit with Alex's palm in his forehead. Dark Alex punched and Alex blocked with both hands. The twin thrust his other hand out and hit him in the head, then followed up with a side kick to the stomach. Alex countered by slamming both of his hands into the sides of Dark Alex's head.

The two Alex's backed up from each other. Both of them were bleeding and were almost out of energy. But not just yet. Alex walked over and picked up his sword. Dark Alex did the same. They held their blades in front of them. Alex said a silent prayer and charged one last time.

Lighting crackled as their swords crashed together. Dark Alex thrust to the head. Alex twisted to avoid the strike, while swinging the sword. Dark Alex blocked and slashed down. Alex brought the sword up and they clanged together. Alex twisted his blade aside and bashed the twin's face with the hilt of his sword. Dark Alex growled and parried two strikes before countering with his own. Alex ducked the head swipe and rolled out of the vertical strike.

Alex swung wildly, not caring where it hit. Dark Alex blocked these easily, faked a head swipe, and kicked Alex in the shin. Alex winced and swung his sword more. The sword never hit flesh and bone. It only hit another sword. Alex lunged forward. Dark Alex sucked in his stomach and countered with an uppercut. The blow flew Alex in the air and back to the ground. Alex spat out blood and tried to get up. Dark Alex quickly sat on Alex.

"I'll admit you put up a really good fight," Dark Alex said. "Better than I expected at least."

Alex desperately tried to get free. He just had no strength left.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Dark Alex smiled. "Don't worry. You'll see your dead brother again very soon."

Tears came to Alex's eyes. He had failed! Failed to avenge his family! He couldn't even protect himself. He failed his brother!

His brother!

Alex thought back to the last thing Sean said before he died.

_Alex. Don't give into this bastard. Don't give up you hear me. Never give up_.

The words rang in Alex's head. Never give up! The words of his brother gave him strength he had never known. He gritted his teeth and attacked.

Alex leaned back as far as he could. Dark Alex was pushed forward a little bit. Alex brought his legs up until they were right around Dark Alex's throat. Then he pushed down.

"Gaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" Dark Alex was getting choked by the legs. He eventually gave way and Alex slammed his head onto the glass.

Alex got up to see Dark Alex slowly getting up.

"Eat this,you son of a bitch!" Alex tapped into his newfound strength and shot a fireball at Dark Alex. He didn't even have time to cry out. The fireball slammed him almost to the edge of the platform. Alex knew that he had won.

He walked over to the soon to be dead body of his nemesis. Dark Alex was still alive, but barely.

"Alex. Alex come closer," Dark Alex whispered with any strength he had left.

Alex leaned in closer.

"You think you've won," Dark Alex gave a weak smile. "You're only just starting."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"I told you that I led the Heartless to the islands." the twin said. "But I didn't lead them there because I felt like it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Me coming after you and your family," he said. "Even though I loved it, it wasn't my idea."

"What are you saying?" Alex said.

Dark Alex smiled. "I'm saying that I was ordered to do it. By my master."

Alex gasped. He sat back and a chill ran down his spine.

"Who's your master? Tell me!" Alex screamed.

Dark Alex just grinned. "Think of this as a final present from me. The truth behind the attacks. If you really want to avenge your parent's death, you'll have to take him out. My master."

Dark Alex's body disintegrated into the darkness of the abyss.

Alex just sat there. He wasn't behind his parent's deaths? Then who? All of these questions flooded his mind until he did the only thing he could do.

He screamed into the darkness with all of his soul.

* * *


	8. Gearing Up

Chapter 8: Gearing Up

"Alex, are you okay?!"

Alex opened his eyes to realize that he was back in the Third District, laying on the ground. He heard Sora and got up slowly, then he touched his face. No blood, no bruises, nothing. It was as if the duel between the twins had never happened.

"Jeez you gave me a scare," Sora ran over. "You fainted again."

Alex rubbed his head and gave a sheepish smile. "Maybe I'm more tired than I thought."

"The only sleep we seem to be getting around here is when we're knocked out," Sora exclaimed.

"I agree," Alex said.

"These guys have just been explaining that they were looking for me," Sora pointed to Donald and Goofy.

"Looking for you?" Alex made a face. "Why?"

"Apparently, the king of their world went missing and he left a letter saying that they needed to find someone with a key to their survival," Sora explained.

"Key? Oh, the Keyblade," Alex realized. The king of their world? Could it be..?

"They too have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade."

Alex and Sora turned around to see Leon and Yuffie standing there.

"Thanks for the help guys," Alex said, sarcastically. "Way to be team players."

"We were kinda busy with the Heartless in the First District," Leon said. "It was probably better that you guys fought this one on your own. You need to rely on yourselves more than others."

"What does that mean?" Alex asked.

"I believe that Donald and Goofy can explain it to you," he said.

The two boys turned to the King's friends.

"We were wondering if you would come with us," Goofy said. "We can go to other worlds on our vessel."

"Vessel?" Alex wondered.

"Our ship," Donald quacked.

"You have a ship that can fly in space?" Alex started to smile.

Donald and Goofy nodded.

"Sweet!"

"What would we do?" Sora asked.

"The King told us to find the person with the key and stick with him," Donald said. "We were going to look for the King. There are a lot of worlds out there, so we have a lot of places to search. The Heartless are probably trying to invade these worlds and seeing that the Keyblade is a weapon that they fear, we could use your help."

Sora closed his eyes and looked at the ground. "I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi?"

Alex realized that Sora was right. Riku and Kairi weren't on this world, but they could be on others.

"Of course," Donald smiled. Sora looked up and smiled.

Goofy leaned in to Donald and whispered, "Are you sure?"

"Who knows?" Donald shook his head. "But we need him to come with us to help us find the King."

Leon walked over to Sora and put his hand on his shoulder. "Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends."

Sora just looked at the ground and shook his head. "Yeah...I guess."

Donald saw that he needed a little encouragement and said, "But you can't come along looking like that, understand."

Sora looked up, confused.

"No frowning," Doanld made a face. "And no sad face, okay?"

Goofy leaned in. "Yeah you gotta look funny. Like us!"

Goofy started to laugh, but Donald pushed his face out of the way. "This boat runs on happy faces."

Sora chuckled to himself. He couldn't believe that they were asking him to be happy at a time like this. "Happy?"

Leon and Yuffie cross their arms, Alex stared at Sora, and Donald and Goofy braced themselves.

Sora looked to the ground and brought his face up with the weirdest grin anyone had ever seen. Everyon just stared at Sora and he realized that he must look like a dork.

"Hahahahaha! That's one funny face," Donald and Goofy laughed aloud.

Sora's mood had cheered up. "Okay why not, I'll go with you guys, but only on one condition."

"Name it," Donald was still trying to recover from laughing.

"Alex goes with us," Sora pointed to Alex, who had been starting to feel left out.

"Whaaaaat?!" Donald quacked.

Goofy calmed him down. "Donald, this could be the only way that we get him to come. The other kid isn't a bad fighter either. He could help us."

Alex walked over to Sora. "Are you sure that you want me? I'm not gonna be cramping your style right?"

Sora laughed. "Are you kidding me? It's like you said before. We are gonna send these monsters back to hell together!"

Alex smiled to himself. "You're right. Besides, you would make a fool of yourself without me there to guide you."

Sora gave Alex a fake frown, but couldn't keep it up.

Leon smiled. "Then its decided."

The four warriors realized that they hadn't properly introduced themselves.

"Donald Duck."

"Name's Goofy."

"I'm Sora."

"Alex Bane. Pleased to meet you."

The four of them formed a circle and put their hands in. It gave Alex a quick flashback to before his basketball games. The team would always pump themselves up and put their hands together. Alex hesitated to put his hand in, wondering if he wanted to do this. But he realized, that if he walked out on this, it would probably be the biggest mistake of his life. He was being offered the chance to fly in a star ship, explore new and exciting worlds, find his friends, and save some people while he was at it. However, he also remembered the other reason that he was coming. Something he couldn't tell anyone. Dark Alex had said that he was the one who killed his parents, but it wasn't his idea to kill them. That meant that there was someone else out there pulling the strings. Alex had to solve that mystery and figure out why Disney characters can come to life. There was too much he didn't know for him to stay out of the loop. He knew he had to do this. Alex put his hand in.

"All for one and one for all!"

* * *

The 3-D image of the four new friends shined green light in the darkened room that was practically devoid of light. The image was being shone on a circular, stone pedestal. That way everyone could see it. The figures in the darkness had just watched the battle between the giant Heartless armor and the warriors.

"That little squirt took down that Heartless. Who'd have thought it?" one of the figures roared in frustration. He couldn't believe that all four of them had survived.

"Ah, such is the power of the Keyblade. The child's strength is not his own," another figure explained. He didn't believe that the boy posed much of a threat.

"Why don't we turn him into a Heartless. A-HA-HA! That should settle things quick enough," another figure, a woman, spoke.

"And the brat's friends are the King's lackeys!" The air began to hiss as someone swung something in the air out of frustration. "Swoggle me eyes! They're all bilge rats by the look of them."

"You're no prize yourself!" a figure leaned his head back in laughter.

"Shut up you fool!" the figure swung his hook next to the figure's throat.

"ENOUGH!"

All of the figures turned to see their leader standing at the front of the pedestal. The green light from the hologram seemed to mold into her skin of the same color. Her thin fingers grasped her staff, which was a long brown pole with a dark-green orb at the top. The green light also showed a malevolent smile appear on her red lips. Her purple and black robes seemed to have a mind of their own, swaying in the wind every which way. The light barely made out the horns on her head that blended perfectly in the darkness.

"All of you have mentioned the boy with the Keyblade and the King's men. But what about the other boy?"

The other figures had uncomfortable looks on their faces.

"Why should he matter? He's obviously just a friend of the boy. He shouldn't pose any threat," one of the figures spoke. The others nodded their heads, agreeing.

"I agree. Why worry about some common street rat?" He spat out the words, emphasizing "rat".

The leader looked at them all. "It's true. This other boy seems to be of no importance."

The other figures considered the conversation over.

However, the leader wasn't finished. "But our eyes can often lie to us."

The figures started to wonder what the point was.

"It would seem that another battle took place."

"Another battle?! What do you mean, Maleficent?!"

Maleficent shook her head at the incompetence that was taking place. "After the defeat of the Heartless, this boy fainted. However, I felt a dark presence stir. It would seem the boy's consciousness was taken somewhere and was engaged in a mental battle. He could have died, but he triumphed over his opponent and was brought back. I don't know who the opponent was, but the aura of darkness was quite powerful."

The others were having a hard time believing what she was saying.

"If I were you," Maleficent said. "I would not be so quick to judge this boy. There is more to him then it appears. I would consider him to be as much a threat as the others. So don't underestimate him."

The figures nodded. Maleficent wasn't one to lie about something so important. She got back to the matter at hand.

"The Keyblade has chosen this boy. And fate has seen fit to include the others in his quest. The only question that remains is, will it be these fools who conquer the darkness? Or will the darkness devour their hearts?" Maleficent gave a smile that guaranteed their success. "Either way the boy could be quite useful."

* * *

Traverse Town had been born anew. People started coming out of their homes. Shops were reopened. No one had to live in fear of the creatures attacking any time soon. The group that had vanquished the darkness from the town was in the square of the First District. Leon had just finished introducing Alex and Sora to Aerith. Alex was very tempted to ask her if she would marry him.

Leon was giving advice before the group went their separate ways. "Make sure you're prepared for the journey ahead of you. We don't know for sure just how far the Heartless have spread."

Yuffie pointed to the accessory shop. "You should check out some of the shops here. They have really cool stuff that can help you out. I've told Cid to give you guys a discount."

"Thanks, but how are we gonna pay for it? We're kinda broke," Alex said.

Aerith presented the answer. "This is from all of us." She pulled out a one hundred dollar bill. "Spend it as you see fit."

Looks like money hasn't changed all that much, Alex thought as he was handed the cash.

The group exchanged handshakes and hugs. Alex's heart did extra leaps when he hugged Aerith, but sank when Aerith gave Sora a kiss on the cheek.

"Our prayers are with you Keyblade master," Aerith said. "I hope you find your friends."

"Thank you," Sora said. "I will find them."

"Good luck you guys!" Yuffie said.

Leon went over to the group and spoke in a serious voice. "Look out for each other and keep your spirits up. This journey will be hard. Both physically and mentally. You must help one another. The Heartless won't hesitate to take your heart, Sora. And once they've found out about the other three, they'll take your hearts too."

"Once again, thanks for the pep talk Leon," Alex smiled. "Oh and on the subject of Heartless, there are others out there, am I right?"

Leon was still talking serious. "You're right. There are more Heartless out there and not just the ones that you fought today. Heartless come in great varieties. Some can do magic, some are immensely strong, and some are bigger then you can imagine."

"Gawrsh," Goofy gulped. "These guys are pretty tough."

"How are we going to fight against all of that?!" Donald yelled.

Leon actually smiled. "Don't worry. Heartless do have a weakness."

"Which is?" Sora asked impatiently.

"The Heartless are hearts that are corrupted by darkness, correct? But they are still hearts. Every time someone kills a Heartless, a little piece of that heart of darkness is brought back to the light and then is absorbed into your body creating power. The more Heartless you destroy, the more power will build up. Once the power reaches its limit, it explodes. This invisible explosion in your body strengthens you in many ways. It will build up your strength, agility, stamina, reflexes, ability to do magic, and it can make your spells even more powerful. With this process, you'll be able to become stronger then you ever could. And with the right training, it opens you up to many new skills. Skills that you can mix with magic or the power in your body."

"I see. That's how you got to be so good at fighting," Alex realized.

"Yes. I've killed a lot of Heartless in my time," Leon said.

"So what happens when all that power goes kablooie?" Goofy asked.

"When it happens," Leon explained. "The process starts all over again."

"Wow," Alex smiled. "So we can just keep killing Heartless and power up as much as possible. I'd say that's a pretty big weakness. How much power can we get?"

"Depends on the size of the Heartless. The bigger, the better," Leon explained.

"How do we know when the explosion is going to happen?" Sora asked.

"Once the power builds up, it'll stay there until you unleash it," Leon said. "You have to concentrate really hard the first time. After that it just becomes second nature. I'd go so far to say that all of you might be ready now."

"Let's try it," Donald said with excitement.

The four of them closed their eyes and concentrated. Alex was going to do it the same way he searched for the power he gained from the dream. He called for the power to unleash itself. He almost reached out with his fingers. Alex started to feel a tugging sensation on his body. He used his mind to try to pull the power out. Alex gritted his teeth, realizing the explosion was happening.

"Holy crap!" Alex yelled. He thrust his arms outward and soaked the power in. He felt himself getting stronger. The power was in his legs, his arms, his chest, and his brain. It was surrounding him. Alex opened his eyes to find that it was over. The others started to open their eyes.

"Gawrsh," Goofy said. "That was uh, um, hey Donald what's the word?"

"Intense!" Donald quacked. "You idiot."

"Aw right," Goofy laughed. "That sure was intense."

"I do feel stronger," Sora exclaimed. "This is too cool."

"How do we know for sure?" Alex said.

"Try something," Leon said.

"Try doing magic. Like a Fire spell," Donald suggested.

"Um, okay," Alex took a few steps back and made sure that nobody was in the way. He thrust his sword to the night sky and yelled,"Fire!"

To Alex's surprise, flames surrounded his sword and shot forward to form a small fireball.

"Wow!" Alex said. In the back of his mind, he knew he could do it. He had already used it to defeat Dark Alex.

"Let me try it too!" Sora thrust the Keyblade in the air and was rewarded with the same results.

"Congratulations!" Leon said. "You can do magic now."

"Let me try," Goofy said.

"This is not going to end well," Donald shook his head.

Donald was right. Goofy tried to do a Fire spell, but all he managed to do was set his pants on fire, which Donald had to put out with a Blizzard spell.

"That's okay Goofy," Leon said. "Some people don't do magic. You can use the power in other ways."

"Why can you do Blizzard spells?" Sora complained.

"Because I've been trained," Donald smiled smugly.

"Well, that's about all I can tell you guys," Leon started to walk away. "Good luck."

They waved to Leon as he ventured back to the Second District.

"Well, let's go," Alex said, eager to see the ship.

"Not until we're ready," Donald said.

"We still need to get some stuff," Goofy said. "Don't we get a discount?"

"Right," Sora said. "Let's go see what the item shop has."

The four of them walked up the steps to the item shop and entered. The shop was a small, two floor store. Right as Alex walked in there were stairs to the right leading to the main floor and the counter. A ceiling fan spun above to keep the place cool. Behind the counter were cabinets that must have been full of different potions and other items to help fight monsters. The most distinguishing thing about this place wasn't what was being sold. It was the people who were selling them.

Alex hadn't taken more than two steps into the place before he was almost stampeded by ducks yelling," Unca Donald!"

"Uncle?!" Sora raised an eyebrow.

There were three ducks. Each of them had a shirt and cap that was a different color. They wore red, green, and blue. They looked like miniaturized versions of Donald and Alex knew them in an instant.

"Boys introduce yourselves," Donald said. The ducks got on top of the counter and made weird poses.

"I'm Huey!" the duck in red grinned and pointed his thumbs towards himself.

"I'm Dewey!" the duck in blue did the splits and pointed to the ceiling.

"And I'm Louie!" the duck in green just waved to the guests.

"These are my nephews," Donald smiled.

"Your favorite nephews right?" Huey batted his eyes.

Donald realized that it wouldn't be a smart idea to insult the people he was going to buy stuff from. "You're just little buckets of sunshine!" he lied.

"Hey guys," Goofy waved. "You sure are keepin' this place nice and neat."

"Thanks Goofy," Dewey got behind the counter.

"I'm kinda having a hard time picturing you as an uncle," Sora said, but immediately wished he hadn't.

"Why would that be?" Donald got in his face.

Sora quickly shook his head. "No reason."

"So, what kind of items do you guys sell?" Alex said. He was still eager to see the ship.

"Everything," Louie said. "Potions, ethers, elixirs, anything.

Alex's mind was doing backflips trying to translate what the little duck just said

They're Harry Potter wannabes, Alex thought.

"What are those?" Sora asked.

"Potions are for healing," Huey held up a bottle with green fluid.

"Ethers are for replenishing the magic energy in your body," Dewey held up a bottle with blue liquid shining through the glass.

"Elixirs are for all of the above," Louie held up a bottle with golden liquid that shimmered.

"We'll take ten of each," Donald pulled out the cash.

"Cool. That'll be a hundred-and-twenty bucks," Huey smiled behind the cash register.

Donald's jaw hit the floor. "Whaaaaaat?!"

"Sorry Unca Donald," Louie shrugged. "No family discounts."

Donald looked like he was about to throw something, but decided not to.

"Okay then," Alex did his best to negotiate. "We'll take seven of each."

"That'll be eighty-five bucks," Heuy said.

"Deal," Alex said. He grabbed the money from a fuming Donald and paid the nephews. Each of them went to the cabinet and pulled out small bottles of the liquids. Donald cast enchantments on the bottles so they wouldn't break.

"Thanks guys," Goofy said to the ducklings.

"You're welcome!" All of them shouted at once. "See ya later Donald!"

Donald grumbled, still mad about the no discounts, and the four of them left the store.

"Uncle Scrooge trained them well," Donald muttered.

Alex pulled out one of the bottles from the bag that Goofy was holding. It was an elixir. The golden liquid glowed brightly and seemed like it had a mind of its own.

"Donald, dontcha think it's time we got to the ship?" Goofy suggested.

Alex popped out of his hypnosis with the elixir and sprinted over to Goofy.

"You mentioned the ship?" Alex smiled.

Donald and Goofy led the two boys to the entrance to Traverse Town. It was a huge set of double doors that led to the parking spot of the Gummi Ship.

"Are you ready?" Donald asked. He liked the looks on the boy's faces.

"Hell yes!" Alex yelled.

They opened the doors and went outside of Traverse Town. At first, Alex couldn't see anything. It was pitch black.

"Hey," Alex said. "What's the big idea?"

Suddenly, a spotlight shot its beam upward from the ground. Another shined to the side of it. More spotlights began to shine ahead of them. It was a way of showing the pathway to the Gummi Ship. Alex and Sora ran forward, excited for what they were going to see. Soon enough, the spotlights shined on the Gummi Ship and Alex could see that they were in some sort of tunnel that was used for parking. Alex and Sora stared in awe at the ship. The simple color of it, the cannons, the white wings, everything about it was enchanting.

"Wanna see the inside?" Goofy asked.

"Oh yeah!" Sora answered.

Donald ran to the back of the ship and pressed a button. The back of the ship started to come forward, morphing itself into a ramp. Alex could see light coming from the inside and ran to the back. Donald motioned with his hand for the boys to go in.

"Ladies first," Alex pointed to Sora.

"Not cool," Sora said, but he went in anyway.

Sora entered a room that had multiple gears shifting and steaming. Mechanical wonders that Sora would never understand. Alex guessed that it was the engine room. He looked at the gauges that measured pressure and others that were on other tanks. He pushed Sora forward to a white ladder that led to the next floor. Alex climbed it wondering what he was going to see.

He was greeted with a much better sight. The Gummi Ship was bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside. He felt like he entered a five star hotel. Straight ahead was a hallway that undoubtedly led to the cockpit, but it branched off into several different rooms. Each of the rooms had a bed, cabinets for clothes, and their own bathrooms. Another room the hallway was a passage too, Alex didn't know what it was. It was dark and glowed from the faint light of computers. It also included many pod-shaped machines that were hooked up to the computers.

"Pick a room, any room," Donald said. "And welcome to the Gummi Ship."

Alex entered a room with a bed that had blue covers and white carpeting. He sat on the bed and instantly remembered that the only time he had slept in the past twenty-four hours was from being knocked out. He took a deep breath and lay on the bed, prepared to go to sleep.

Sora popped his head in. "C'mon sleepyhead, we're going to see the cockpit."

Alex made a mental note to scare Sora in his sleep and followed him into the hallway.

"What is that dark and scary room?" Alex asked Donald.

"Oh that. That is state of the art technology that was only entrusted to this ship."

"What kind of technology?"

"It's called VR training. Stands for virtual reality. You get in one of the VR pods and someone loads you in. Then, you fight opponents in a virtual world. This is the kind of training that Leon was talking about. It's great for getting stronger and testing out new moves without any threat of hurting yourself."

"Awesome," Alex was impressed. This ship seemed to have everything.

Alex followed the group up the ladder and entered the cockpit. It was a glass dome that separated them from space. Alex saw the three chairs and the control board. Donald was fiddling with the controls and Alex wondered how someone could tell apart all the different buttons, gauges, and levers.

"Don't touch anything," Donald warned.

"He means it," Goofy said. "One time I touched this button and, well..."

"Let's just say that the Gummi engineers haven't trusted Goofy ever since," Donald finished.

Alex was surprised that he didn't find the cockpit all that impressive, but he realized that he shouldn't be complaining.

"So, what are the cannons for?" Alex asked. "Do you get chased by Imperial Star Destroyers?"

Donald gave Alex a look that clearly stated he had no idea what he was talking about.

Enough with the movie references, Alex thought.

"The cannons are for the Heartless ships that bother us sometimes," Goofy explained.

Sora frowned. "Wait, they can invade space too?"

"Yep," Goofy nodded.

"Great," Alex said. "If we don't die by unneeded open-heart surgery, we'll die by being shot by the Death Star."

Alex was given more looks.

I thought I said enough with the movie references, Alex thought.

"Hey! Who are you?"

Alex looked around the cockpit, but couldn't see who had spoken.

"Down here!"

Alex followed the voice and gasped.

"Hello! Jiminy Cricket's the name."

Jiminy hopped onto one of the chairs. Alex was starting to wonder if he was going to faint again.

"What are you here for?" Sora asked.

"I'll be your chronicler for this journey," Jiminy explained. "I'll write down all the stuff that goes on in my journal. That way, we'll have evidence of what you guys do in case of, uh..."

Alex knew what the cricket wanted to say and it didn't make him feel any better.

Donald sat in the driver's seat and began to push buttons. He gripped the steering wheel and pulled a lever.

"Engines are good!" Donald was reading a gauge.

"Cannons are locked and loaded," Goofy said, checking another dial.

Alex and Sora raced to a seat, seeing as how Donald and Goofy were taking up the other two. Alex got there first and Sora wasn't looking forward to standing up on takeoff. The whole ship started to rumble and Alex gripped his seat. He could feel the Gummi turning slightly.

"Everybody hold on!" Donald yelled.

Donald pulled a lever which ignited the thrusters beneath the ship. Alex could feel the ship starting to pull forward. He said a quick prayer and closed his eyes.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Donald quacked.

He pushed the steering wheel forward which caused the ship to lurch. Alex gripped the seat even tighter. Goofy was shaking, even though he had done this before. Sora looked like he was about to throw up.

"Universe, here we come!"

The Gummi Ship blasted forward out of the tunnel and into space, leaving Traverse Town behind and whole new adventures ahead of it.


	9. Journey in the Stars

Chapter 9: Journey in the Stars

Sora had dreams of space. It was often the subject of them. Just the fact that there was more out there intrigued him. He had been excited when Riku came up with the idea of building a raft. The opportunity to see new places was something that Sora could not have passed up, even if there was the threat of danger. He always wondered what it would look like. He pictured himself floating in space calmly with his eyes wide open, staring at the marvel that lay before him. Sora always thought that it would be the most comfortable feeling ever. He couldn't have been more wrong.

"Jeeeeeeesus!" Alex screamed at the top of his lungs as the Gummi Ship blasted off into space. He was gripping the sidebars of the seat so tightly he was afraid he would break his hands. His teeth were clenched together and rattling.

"Yee-haw!" Goofy yelled with his arms raised in the air. This experience was nothing new to him. He took great pleasure in blasting off into space. It was quite the adrenaline rush.

Sora was feeling a rush alright, but it wasn't adrenaline. More like his stomach was rushing up to meet his face. He was lying on the floor of the cockpit, gripping his mouth with his hand. He really hoped he didn't throw up in mid-flight. He looked to his side to see Jiminy Cricket gripping a spiky edge to his hair and holding on for dear life.

It seemed to take an eternity for the rush to stop, when in reality it took only a few seconds. It took Alex a few minutes to realize that they had stopped, or rather the turbulence had stopped. Donald turned to Alex with a sincere smile.

"Want to look?" Alex didn't get the question at first, but soon realized that the duck was motioning to the glass dome that was around them.

Alex got out of his seat and looked to the ceiling. Stars took over the sky and shined brightly through the infinite blackness of space. Alex had seen pictures of space before and the concept was not new to him as much as with Sora, but the fact that he was in outer space brought chills down Alex's spine. He was surprised to see the sky changing color. It started as black, but started to grow brighter until it became a bright green. Then it changed to a darker shade of blue. Alex knew that wasn't in any textbook or movie he had ever seen. Space seemed to be moving in waves of color. Alex looked to his side to see Sora standing right beside him. He looked even closer to see a little tear running down Sora's cheek.

"I just...can't believe it," Sora choked out. "We made it."

"Yeah," Alex started to tear up too. "We did make it buddy."

On any other occasion the boys would have wiped their tears away and been done with it, but this occasion wasn't like the others.

"Man hug!" Alex and Sora leaped in the air and bumped chests while throwing their arms around each other for a quick second. Donald and Goofy watched the boys as they displayed this rare case of affection. Donald had definitely been hesitant to bring the two boys on the ship and with trusting his life to theirs. But at this moment, Donald didn't regret showing them this. He felt a little joy and pity for the both of them.

"Look at that star!" Alex pointed to a shooting star that passed the Gummi Ship.

"Wow!" Sora opened his eyes wide at the sight of it.

"Get used to it boys," Donald said without looking at them.

"You mean there's more?" Sora said, eagerly awaiting the answer.

"Oh there's more where that came from," Goofy grinned at them.

"Excuse me!"

Alex and Sora turned around to see Jiminy Cricket standing on a chair looking quite irritated.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," he tossed an angry look at Donald, " I am your chronicler for this journey."

"Meaning what?" Sora asked.

"Meaning, young man, that I am in charge for writing down every single detail of your journey," Jiminy explained. "This includes backstory, so tell me your side of the story from the beginning."

Alex grew a little nervous at the mention of this. According to everyone else, his back story was amnesia. He shook the nervousness away. Jiminy didn't know him. There was no way he could have know that he came from Earth.

"Alex you don't have to," Sora said. "I'll do it."

"You sure?" Alex knew that the loss of the islands and Riku and Kairi would be tough to talk about, especially for Sora. He only lived there all of his life and knew Riku and Kairi better than Alex did. Dark Alex might have raided the islands to get to Alex, but he shuddered to think of what Sora would have done if he knew what Alex did. He probably would have given Dark Alex a bigger beating than Alex himself did.

"Yeah I'm sure," Sora said. "It happened and the best way to deal with it is to start talking about it. I can't act like it didn't."

It was one of those rare moments when Alex realized that Sora was more mature than he gave him credit for.

Jiminy must have read Alex's mind. "I'm sorry for my bluntness. If you need more time, I understand. The two of you must have undergone a terrible ordeal at the hands of the Heartless to be where you are now."

Sora shook his head. "No I'm ready."

Jiminy led Sora down the ladder and back to the hallways. Sora entered a room that he had claimed his own. It had stylish, red carpeting and a purple bed. This room, like Alex's, also contained dressers for clothes and a bathroom.

"All right," Jiminy pulled out his minuscule notebook and pencil, "start from the beginning."

Sora gulped and began his tale. It was actually easier than he thought it would be. It also helped that Jiminy was a good listener and never interrupted him. Before he knew it, Sora had been talking for an entire hour.

Jiminy took a quick read of what he had written and couldn't believe it himself. "I'm sorry for your loss Sora. I really am. I know what it's like to lose your home."

"Thanks Jiminy," Sora was starting to like the cricket.

* * *

Donald had told the boys that it would be awhile before they actually got to a world. They decided to get some much needed sleep. They were out as soon as their heads hit the pillow. Alex didn't dream that night. A much needed improvement he would have thought. Sora didn't sleep as well as Alex. Part of it was because he was anxious about the different worlds they were going to see. The other part was because true to his word, Alex had scared Sora in the middle of his nap.

While the boys were sound asleep in their beds, Donald and Goofy were at work trying to contact Disney Castle.

"Goofy did you send the message?" Donald twirled in his chair to face him.

"Yep sure did. They should be responding pretty soon."

"I hope so," Donald said. "They should know that we found the Keybearer."

A red light began to light up on the dashboard of the cockpit.

"Incoming message from Disney Castle," an emotionless computer voice said.

"I can see thank you very much," Donald said. "Goofy bring the screen up."

"Aye aye sir," Goofy said and pressed a button. Immediately, the lights in the cockpit went out.

"The other button you nincompoop!!" Donald quacked loudly.

"Oops, ayuck sorry," Goofy said. He quickly turned the light back on and pressed the button right next to it.

Right in front of them, a computer screen appeared on the glass dome. The screen showed Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck in the library.

"Your Majesty," Donald said cordially.

"How are ya doin'?" Goofy tipped his hat.

"Oh my," Daisy clapped her hands together. "It is so nice to see that you are safe. I was starting to get worried."

Donald sighed. Daisy had always been a worrier.

"Everything's all right," Donald said. "Don't worry about me Daisy. You're gonna give yourself an ulcer."

"Your Majesty," Goofy took over. "We bring good news. We found the boy with the Keyblade."

"This is good news indeed," Minnie said. "Mic-I mean the King said such in his letter that whoever holds the key will be great help to us."

Goofy made a mental note to try to keep the conversation away from the King. Minnie must be going through a hard time right now.

"He sure is Your Highness," Goofy said. "He really knows how to really give it too the Heartless."

"He sure does," Donald agreed. "And that's not all."

Minnie frowned. "What is it?"

"We picked up another boy," Donald explained. "He was traveling with the Keybearer. The two of them are friends apparently."

"Another boy?" Minnie asked. "Why did you feel so compelled to bring him along?"

Goofy stepped in," With all due respect Your Highness, Alex seems like a nice kid. He isn't that bad of a fighter either."

Donald nodded in agreement, although he still was a little curious.

"All right," Minnie said. "If you trust him, then I trust him too. Please find the King. I fear he is in the worst danger."

"Never fear Your Majesty," Donald assured her. "We will find him. You can count on it."

"Thank you," Minnie said, brushing a tear away from her cheek.

"You boys be careful out there," Daisy said. "Those Heartless seem like they mean business."

"Don't worry Miss Daisy," Goofy said. "I'll bring your sweetheart back in one piece."

The transmission ended and the computer screen disappeared from the glass revealing space once again. Donald smacked Goofy over the back of his head.

* * *

Alex wasn't sure how long he had slept. It was hard to tell time in space. It was an eternal night. Despite this, Alex had gotten a good sleep. He rolled the covers away from his legs and pulled himself out of the comfortable bed. Before getting into bed, he had changed out of his clothes into some pajamas. Alex was surprised to see his jeans, shoes, shirt, and jacket all folded nicely on the bedside.

Cool, Alex thought. Room service that sneaks into your room at night. That's not creepy at all.

Alex removed his pajamas and got into his regular clothes. He went to the bathroom to wash his face to help clear his head. He took a good look at himself in the mirror. Even though his face and body hadn't changed that much, he knew he had changed on the inside. Alex didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. Scared of what was to come. Scared of the unknown. He knew that everyone was scared of what they don't understand, but this just went beyond that. This time what he didn't understand were monsters that suck out hearts, Disney characters coming to life, and most of all, the chilling last words of Dark Alex. Alex wondered if he was ready to face the unknown.

"Hey Alex," He turned to see Sora in the hallway.

"Let's go up," Sora pointed to the ladder and started to climb.

"Yeah, sure," Alex breathed deeply and climbed.

Space had changed. Now it was fully bright, only changing between blue and green. Something was different.

"What's going on?" Alex asked.

"We are coming up on our first world," Donald explained.

"Really," Sora smiled. "What is it?"

"Can't tell you right now," Goofy said. "We'll have to call in the specialists."

"Which is?" Alex said.

Goofy turned his chair and began typing a message on a computer in the back. Sora leaned his head to see what it was. He was typing a message. Goofy clicked the enter key and sent the message.

"Should be comin' up right now," Goofy gave Donald a thumbs up.

"All right," Donald said. "Goofy, I swear if you press the wrong button this time-"

"Don't worry Donald," Goofy said. "I don't make the same mistake twice." He pressed the button by the computer.

Boy if I had a nickel for every time that's happened, Donald thought.

The computer screen came back on the glass and Alex wondered who they would be talking to now. The screen stopped showing static and became clear, showing two little chipmunks that made Alex leap back in surprise.

"Boys I want to introduce you to the best pilots I know, Chip and Dale," Donald pointed to them.

"You bet your sweet bippy we are," Chip said.

"We are?" Dale scratched his head. "Oh yeah we are."

"Who're the new guys?" Chip pointed to Alex and Sora.

"A-hem," Donald cleared his throat. "This is-"

"Sora, the Keyblade master, and his friend Alex," Goofy quickly interrupted. He turned to see steam practically rising from Donald's head.

"Sora and Alex, huh?" Dale said. "Nice to meet you both."

"You guys are the best pilots around?" Sora tried to hold back his laughter. "Aren't you guys a little...well..little to be pilots."

"Wrong choice of words there pal," Alex shook his head.

"What are you suggesting there string bean?" Chip got really close to the screen which made his head seem bigger than Sora's body. "If you're sayin what I think you're sayin, why I oughta-"

"He didn't mean nothin' by it Chip," Goofy quickly tried to resolve the situation.

"He better not have," Chip said, all while giving Sora an evil look. Sora smiled nervously.

"Anyhoo," Donald got back to the point. "The reason why we called is that we need to know where we should start looking for the King."

"And for Riku and Kairi," Sora added.

"Well why didn't you just say so?" Dale said. "Let's see."

Alex saw the chipmunk dart to a big computer and begin to search for something. Chip was still giving Sora dirty looks.

"All righty," Dale hopped back. "Your best bet right now would be to go to this world. I'll pull it up on your screen."

Alex watched the screen to see a 3-D model of a world appear. The world looked like it had been twisted inside out. Many shades of red and violet appeared. On top there was a small castle and on the underside of it was a small cottage. Alex had no idea what it could possibly be.

"The name of this world is Wonderland," Dale said.

That sparked Alex's memory. He remembered it was a Disney movie.

Wait a second, Alex thought. If Disney characters are alive, does that mean that the worlds exist too?

This was something that Alex hadn't expected. It defied what Alex perceived to have been someone's imagination, but it turned out to be real. Alex suddenly began wishing that he was home. A place where things weren't so weird anymore.

"According to this chart," Chip pulled up a small slip of paper, "the Heartless aren't that strong there, but I would still be on alert. That amount can change in an instant."

"Plus according to your coordinates," Dale continued, "you guys should be about thirty minutes away from it."

Donald turned to Goofy. Goofy gave a nod.

"Well sounds like a plan to me," Alex said. "Let's get this show on the road."

"I like the way you think," Sora said.

"Then it's decided," Donald cracked his knuckles. "Wonderland it is. Goofy get us going."

"You got it," Goofy pushed some buttons and pulled a lever. Alex felt the machines in the engine room rumbling beneath him.

"Shotgun!" Alex yelled.

"Shotgun!" Sora yelled. "Dammit!"

"Ha-ha-ha!" Alex raced to his seat. Sora was not looking forward to going through another high speed blast through the universe.

"Good luck you guys!" Chip and Dale said in unison and the transmission was cut.

"Here we go!" Donald pulled the thrusters and pushed on the steering wheel. The Gummi Ship blasted forward to a world called Wonderland.

* * *

WOW! That's all I can say. I am really sorry to you guys who have been reading. My last post was in August. All I can say is two things: school and being a football manager(Takes up a whole lot more time then you think it would, believe me). I hope you understand. But your wait is over. I am back now. Football is still going on, but I'll still write. When it gets over with, I will fully get back to writing.

This chapter was mainly just a lot of talking, which I can do. I'm still trying to think of ways to keep my fight sequences from being redundant. I hope you guys like them. Any suggestions from you guys would be greatly appreciated!

Please review!


	10. Wonderland

Chapter 9: Wonderland

The anticipation was killing Alex. Getting to see a new world was cool enough, but now the fact that it was a Disney world had been thrown into the equation. Alex often had to pinch himself or shake his head multiple times, but he still found himself in the cockpit of the Gummi Ship. He really needed to get off this ship.

"Almost there guys," Donald announced from the front seat.

"About time," Sora answered from his seat, which was the floor. "I can almost feel my feet so they should be good by the time we get there."

Alex gave Sora a weird look, but a second later turned his head back to the galaxy beyond.

"So any info on this place?" Alex asked.

"Nope," Goofy smiled.

Alex blinked. "Wait a minute, you're telling me that we are about to venture into a world, a Heartless infested world I might add, and you guys don't have any info on this?"

"Pretty much," Goofy was still smiling. "What's wrong with that? That's how Donald and I usually get things done."

Alex was starting to feel sick. "If you want me I'll be on the john." He exited the cockpit silently, but it wasn't too long before Sora started to hear excessive moans, cursing, and the occasional death threat coming from the floor below.

Goofy started to say something, but Donald cut him off," Yes Goofy, the john is another word for toilet."

"Arriving at destination," the computer voice said.

"Here we go," Donald said and got out of his seat.

"Are we going?" Sora asked.

"Yep. We're here," Goofy responded.

Sora couldn't contain the excitement on his face. A brand new world to explore. This time it would be on his terms, not the Heartless.

"Alex we're going!" Sora yelled into the room. He heard the flushing of a toilet and could faintly make out another moan from Alex.

"I'm coming," Alex came out of his room looking better than he had minutes before. Sora didn't dare ask why.

"So, where do we go to get out?" Alex asked.

"Just follow me," Donald said and proceeded to lead the team to the room with the VR pods. This room vaguely reminded Alex of the movie Alien. It was not a good memory.

"Over here," Donald stood in the middle of a raised part of the floor that was nothing but glass.

"What's this?" Sora wondered out loud.

"This is the teleporter. It's how we transport from the ship to the world."

"Cool!"

The four of them stood in a circle on the glass as the computer began to speak.

"Teleportation preparation complete. All personell on the teleporter prepare to exit the ship in 5....4....3....2....1....0!"

Alex closed his eyes and felt gravity leave him. A feeling of weightlessness ran through his body. He didn't want to leave this state. It was just like the dream he had so long ago. He could feel himself moving. Alex started to wonder about where the teleporter would put them. Suddenly, he felt nervous.

Alex's last thought was, Wait, doesn't Alice enter Wonderland through a.......CRAP!!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

The screaming started before gravity began to do its work. The others were wondering what Alex was so scared of, but soon they weren't thinking at all. Unlike his duel with Dark Alex, there was wind as he fell. His hair whipped in his face as he was tossed around in multiple positions. But just as the fall had started going fast, it started to slow down. Sora opened his eyes to see that he was falling down some kind of brick shaft. He looked down to see the floor rising up to meet him and it was brown. Sora, Alex, and Donald were fortunate enough to land on their feet. Goofy wasn't. He landed with a big thud on his stomach and he looked up to see giggles from Sora and Alex and Donald shaking his head. This look was not new to him.

"Sorry," Goofy quickly got up, but saw something dash past his eyes. It was a white rabbit and it was talking.

"Oh my fur and whiskers, I'm late, I'm late, I am so late!!" The rabbit was wearing a red suit, orange shirt, and a red bowtie. He was carrying a big pocketwatch that seemed to synchronize ticks with how often the rabbit's feet touched the gorund. He was panting and heaving as if he had been running a marathon.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," The rabbit continued to say. "I'm here, but I should be there. Oh the queen she'll have my head for sure."

Sora followed the rabbit with his eyes as he continued to run down a hallway connected to the shaft they fell through and round a corner. Then he heard the sound of a door closing.

"Well that was..." Sora began to say.

"Random!" Alex finished.

"Well at least now we know something about this place," Donald said.

"What?" Goofy asked, confused.

"That guy just mentioned a queen. So this world is a monarchy."

"Something we could've known if you guys had done some research," Alex muttered under his breath.

It hadn't been loud enough because Donald whipped around and said,"I do the driving, Goofy does the shooting. What have you done? Slept and pooped. You guys need to start pulling your own weight around the ship."

Alex didn't really expect the outburst. He hated to admit it, but Donald was right.

"Look we can talk about this later," Sora said. "Let's follow that rabbit."

Donald was actually relieved that Sora had taken some kind of charge. He was the Keybearer after all.

They began to run down the hallway, chasing the rabbit. Sora noticed the walls were bending. Alex felt like he was in the fun house at a carnival. They ran until they reached a big white door. Sora reached for the knob and opened it, only to be greeted with another door. Sora opened this door, only to be met by another door. Getting irritated, Sora opened this door, getting ready to slash any others with the Keyblade, but this time opened up to an actual room.

The team entered to a very bright room. The walls were purple and the floor was red and pink. In the middle, was a table with one chair. In the left corner, was a green bed that was neatly made. To the right, was a brick stove that extended to the cieling. A grandfather clock, books, and vases helped to bring the already quirky room to a new peculiar status.

The team looked at their surroundings. Sora was looking at the floor when he saw something dash across the floor. It was the rabbit! Unlike before, the rabbit had somehow shrunk to the size of a rat and proceeded to run across the floor, until it got to a small, red door at the end of the room. He took a deep breath and entered through the door. Sora quickly ran after him until he stopped at the door. He leaned down to get a better look at the door.

"How did he get so small?!" Sora asked, not really expecting an answer.

"No you're simply too big," said the doorknob.

Sora leaped back in surprise and took a better look at the doorknob. It was gold, but as he looked closer he could see a mouth, nose and eyes. Alex slightly remembered a talking doorknob from the movie, but he was still struck with awe.

"Waak! It talks!" Donald quacked.

The doorknob opened his mouth wide and took a big yawn," Must you be so loud. You woke me up, you idiots!"

Alex stared blankly, doing his best to contemplate a doorknob actually sleeping.

"Good mornin'," Goofy waved. He appeared to be the only one of the four who wasn't surprised.

"No, good night," the doorknob yawned. "I need a bit more sleep."

Sora wouldn't be denied. "Wait, what do have to do to grow small?" It wasn't until after he said it that Sora realized the paradox he just said.

The doorknob didn't seem to notice. "Well why don't you try the bottle over there?" He motioned with his head and all four heads turned to the table. Two bottles, one red and one blue, were sitting on it.

"Was that there before?" Alex asked.

"Who cares? Let's just drink it so we can follow that rabbit," Donald said, impatiently.

"Okay. Who wants to take a sip of the untested, possibly poisoned drink? Any takers?" Alex said, sarcastically.

Unsurprisingly, Goofy raised his hand. "I will."

"What a shock," Alex said.

Goofy walked over to the table and asked,"Which one should I drink, red or blue?"

"I suggest the blue bottle," the doorknob took a slight break from his nap. "Unless you want your head to go through the cieling."

Goofy took the blue bottle in his gloved hands and took a drink. The contents began to dribble out of Goofy's mouth.

"Leave some for us you lummox!" Donald yelled.

"Sure thing," Goofy said as he set the bottle back on the table. As soon as Goofy had done that, he began to shrink.

"Wow," Sora said.

"That's something you don't see every day," Alex said.

Goofy continued to get smaller and smaller until he was just the same size as the rabbit had been.

"Gawrsh," Goofy scratched his head. "Donald is it just me or have you been putting on some weight?"

Donald did his best to shut out the excessive laughter of Sora and Alex by growling at Goofy.

"Whoah Donald no!" Goofy yelled.

Sora stopped his laughing long enough to see that Donald was threatening Goofy by hovering his gigantic webbed foot above Goofy's head.

"Aw leave him alone Donald," Alex said. "After all, the truth hurts!"

Alex and Sora continued to laugh some more. Donald just grumbled, went over to the table, and drank some of the liquid. In no time at all, Donald was the same size as Goofy. It also enabled Donald to give Goofy a kick in the shins without killing him.

"My turn," Sora announced.

"Ladies first," Alex muttered.

Sora repeated the process that Donald did and was soon shrunk to the size of a rat.

"How about we get the door open?" Sora suggested.

The three who were shrunk went over to the doorknob.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt your sleep again, but could you open the door for us?" Sora asked, politely.

The doorknob's response was to snore even louder than it had been before.

"You gotta be kidding me," Sora groaned.

"I know how to open it," Donald got out his staff and pointed it at the door.

"No you idiot!" Alex yelled from above, which made everyone else cover their ears. "If you shoot it, it'll either fall off or be so angry it'll never let us in. No-win situation there. We just gotta find another way to get inside. You guys search for an opening somewhere."

The trio looked at the wall and tried tapping it to see if any place was hollow, but were unsuccesful.

"It's no use. We're never getting in," Donald said.

"Wait look up there," Goofy pointed to the bed.

Alex walked over and looked at what Goofy was pointing at. There was a hole in the wall by the bed. He could even hear noises coming from it. Now he just had to move it. He tried pulling the bed out, but it stayed in place. He tried pushing the bed forward, but even that didn't work.

"Man you're out of shape," Sora grinned.

"It's not that," Alex said. "This bed just feels like it's bolted to the floor."

"Why not try pushing it into the wall?" Goofy suggested.

Donald rolled his eyes as soon as he heard the statement. "Yeah that'll work. In your dreams maybe."

But Alex didn't think it was crazy. His proof was in the name of where they were. Wonderland. They didn't know the rules of how this world worked. There was only one way to find out. Alex pushed the bed into the wall with all his might and it slid right in. Alex could picture Donald's jaw just dropping, which is what it did. Alex drank the last of the liquid and soon the whole team was shrunk.

Who makes this stuff? Wayne Salinsky?, Alex thought.

"Y'know, I'm surprised we haven't been attacked by any Heartless yet," Goofy said.

"Great Goofy now you jinxed us," Alex said.

"I did? Oh sorry," Goofy bowed his head.

"I'm just messing with you," Alex smiled. "I'm surprised too. You would think they would register us as a big enough threat that they would send armies to attack us."

"Let's hope that isn't true," Sora said.

"I'm just exaggerating," Alex said. He hoped he was exaggerating.

The team walked through the hole in the wall and suddenly found themselves in a completely different atmosphere. First of all, there was grass that was bright green. They were surrounded by hedges that the tallest person in the world would have a hard time seeing the tops of. In the center, the hedge had been cut in the shape of the heart. In the distance, Alex could make out a white castle. It reminded Donald and Goofy of their own castle, which only made them realize hos far away home really was. Alex and Sora on the other hand were paying attention to the scene unfolding in the garden itself.

"Are those cards?" Sora gasped. Alex gave no reply. Memories were starting to surface.

Six soldiers were lined in formation right in front of them. These soldiers however were cards that were red with hearts and black with spades that had metal helmets to shield their faces. The black cards wielded black axes and the red cards held long, red spears. This was the first time Alex was ever scared of a card. Surprisingly, the cards raised their weapons in the air to allow the white rabbit to pass through without getting shredded. The rabbit went further into the garden to what Alex guessed was a outdoor courtroom. In the middle, there was a podium where a girl was standing. To her left, was a higher podium that had a mini staircase. To her right was the jury box. It wasn't very big. The girl was paying attention to the massive podium that lay right in front of her. It had a yellow tapestry on it with the symbol of hearts, similar to the red soldiers. Sitting in the podium was a very large woman, dressed in red and black, with black hair tied in a bun.

The girl apparently on trial was short, with blond hair that held a black headband. She was wearing a bright, blue dress with a white apron running down the front and shiny, black shoes. Alex knew that he couldn't tell the others, but he didn't even have to hazard a guess. He knew he had found Alice.

The white rabbit panted as he ran up the right staircase. As he got to the top, he stopped to take a breath. Then he blew a brief tune on a trumpet.

"Court is now in session!" The rabbit yelled, trying to muster up what little energy he had left.

Alice looked shocked. "I'm on trial, but why?"

The rabbit didn't offer an explanation. "Her Majesty the Queen of Hearts presiding."

He bowed to the woman in the large podium. She had her eyes closed and was cooling herself with a heart-shaped fan. Knowing this woman from the movie, Alex guessed she was doing her best to try and keep her temper under control. But he also guessed that it wouldn't last long. He hoped Alice would be cleared of whatever false charges she had before the queen exploded.

The queen opened her eyes and spoke,"This girl is the culprit. There's no doubt about it." She waved her fan in threatening motions as she spoke.

"And the reason is," the queen said," because I SAY SO THAT'S WHY!"

Alice couldn't believe what was going on. "That is so unfair." She hoped she could reason with this obviously insane woman, but in her heart she doubted it.

"Well, have you anything to say in your defense?" The Queen of Hearts had a smug look on her face. She knew Alice had no defense. Unfortunately, Alice knew it too.

But it wouldn't stop her from trying. "Why yes, I do have something to say. I've done absolutely nothing wrong. These rules of yours, this whole trial in fact, is utterly ludicrous and pointless."

Alex saw the white rabbit making stopping motions with his hand toward Alice, but she wasn't paying attention. He knew Alice was innocent, but her expressing that in such a wild manner would not help her present situation.

She's smart. She won't say anything more, Alex thought.

"You may be queen," Alice said,"but I'm afraid that doesn't give you the right to be so..so..mean!"

So it is true what they say about blondes, Alex thought.

The Queen had had enough. "SILENCE! You DARE defy ME!" She slammed her fists on the podium so hard that the rabbit fell where he stood. Mostly out of fear.

"Hey guys," Sora said. "We should help her out." He said it in a little whisper. The card soldiers hadn't seen them yet and they wanted to keep it that way.

Donald frowned," Yeah, but the-."

Goofy interrupted,"We're outsiders so wouldn't that be muddling."

Donald pointed his finger in the air for Goofy to see. "Meddling!"

"Oh yeah," Goofy said,"and that's against the rules."

Sora bowed his head and sighed. There must be something he could do.

"Wait a second,"Alex said, still softly. "What rules? You never told us about any rules."

"We can't meddle in the affairs of other worlds," Donald explained. "It'll upset the natural balance or something like that."

Sora couldn't believe his ears. "I think we're way past that, don't you?"

"Sora, it's part of your duties as the Keybearer," Donald said. "Start acting like one."

"Gimmie a break," Alex said. "You're only saying that to make him do what you say. How would you know anything about what a person with the Keyblade is supposed to do? Sora's the Keybearer, and even he doesn't know."

"Maybe we should listen to them Donald," Goofy suggested.

"All I know is that girl is in trouble," Sora said. "I'm the one with the Keyblade and you're supposed to follow me. You preach to me about doing my duty. Why don't you start doing yours?"

"Guys look," Alex pointed back to the Queen.

"The court finds the defendant," The Queen said smugly, "guilty as charged!"

Alice gasped. Her eyes went wide and small tears began to form in them. Her breathing became struggled.

"For the crimes of assault," The Queen continued, "and attempted theft of MY HEART.."

Alex's eyes widened as he heard the last statement. Attempted theft of a heart. There was only one thing in the world Alex knew would do that, and it didn't involve sweet, innocent girls.

Well, most of the time, Alex thought.

"It's the Heartless, guys," Alex spun around quickly to inform them. "They're here. This is our matter now."

"That's what the Keyblade is for," Sora grinned triumphantly.

Donald grumbled, but realized they had a point. It was time to get involved.

"OFF WITH HER HEAD!!" The Queen screamed at the top of her lungs. All the card soldiers turned towards Alice, weapons raised.

Alice fell to the ground, sobbing. "No! NO! Oh please!"

"Hold it right there Rosie O' Donnell!"

The Queen looked up from the potential decapitation to see four weirdly dressed individuals enter her sight. Sora ran right through the soldiers with his fists clenched. He couldn't believe this woman would actually execute a poor girl.

"Who are you?!" The Queen asked, having a hard time believing that these fools actually had the nerve to interfere. "How dare you interfere with my court!"

Sora took a step forward and cleared his throat. He felt Alex gave him a pat on the back for reassurance, which made him feel better. At least he had backup in case the cards decided to attack.

"Excuse me," Sora began, "but we know who the real culprit is."

Goofy nodded, "Yep, it's the Heart-." He covered his mouth from revealing things that could be disastrous. How could they explain to this queen about the Heartless? She wouldn't believe them and cut off their heads. He noticed Donald giving him an evil look out of the corner of his eye.

Sora continued, "Anyway, she's not the one you're looking for." He pointed to the girl to specify who. The queen didn't strike him as the smartest person around. How she got to be queen was beyond him.

The Queen pounded her fan on the podium in frustration. "That's absolute nonsense! Besides, have you any proof?"

"The question you should be asking is do YOU have any proof?" Donald said. He didn't care if he ticked off this queen or not. No one should be treated in the way this girl had. Donald realized that had they not intervened, this girl would probably be dead. Maybe those rules he preached so much shouldn't matter when a human life is in the equation.

"I don't need proof. I am the Queen of Hearts," She smiled. "And the Queen is..."

"Always right!" The white rabbit finished the sentance for her.

"Dude, you are so whipped," Alex said to the rabbit.

Sora knew there was no reasoning whatsoever with this woman and she was right. He had no proof, even though he knew she didn't do it.

"Until you have brought me evidence of Alice's innocence," The Queen said, "she will be kept in my custody for the time being."

Two soldiers walked over to Alice and pulled her from the ground. They held her by her arms and brought her over to the left side of the Queen's podium. There was a golden cage there. One of the soldiers opened the door. The other one nearly threw Alice in, but she got her footing. The soldier shut the door and slid the lock into place. All the soldiers proceeded to get out of formation and spread out to different sides of the garden.

"Move it you maggots!" Alex yelled in his best drill seargent voice.

"Hey," Sora said. "Why don't we ask that girl, Alice, where to look for some evidence?"

"How would she know?" Alex asked.

"No idea, but she's the only person around here we can ask and get the truth," Sora pointed out.

"That's true," Alex agreed. "I'm definitely not asking the Queen for advice and it doesn't look like these cards are the most sociable fellows on the block."

They reminded Alex of those guards at Buckingham Palace that had to have their game faces on 24/7. The team made their way over to where Alice was located.

"Hello," Alex decided to start the conversation. Alice didn't look like she was in the best state to want to talk.

"Who are you?" Alice asked in a small voice. Her British accent was something that Alex found strangely attractive, but he quickly thrust those thoughts out of his head.

"I'm Alex," Alex put out his hand for her to shake. "Nice to meet you, Alice."

"I'm Sora," Sora just nodded. "This is Donald and Goofy." Donald smiled proudly, while Goofy waved.

"I'm pleased to meet you of course," Alex started to smile. "Though I do wish it was under better circumstances. I'm very greatful for your help back there. Sorry you had to get dragged into this because of me."

"Don't worry about it," Alex said. "We couldn't let a pretty head like yours get cut off." Alice smiled even more. Sora, Donald, and Goofy just rolled their eyes. Alex couldn't go two seconds without being a womanizer.

Sora got the subject back on track, "Why were you put on trial Alice?"

Alice's expression turned from smiling to very annoyed. "That is a question that I would love to know the answer to. After all, what kind of trial is it when you're guilty from the moment you take the stand?!"

"A very loopy one," Goofy responded.

"So how did you end up getting here? You don't live here do you?" Donald asked the questions back to back.

Alice seemed insulted. "Of course not. I would never associate myself with such a dreadful place. All I can remember is that I saw the white rabbit going down a particularly large rabbit hole. I just wanted to see where it went. I know I'm too curious for my own good."

"You got here by rabbit hole?" Donald seemed perplexed by her answer.

"So you are from another world," Goofy deduced.

"What's "another world"?" Alice asked, slightly puzzled.

Goofy realized that this time he had said too much, but ironically he was saved by a card soldier.

"Enough talking!" It spoke. "The defendant will be silent!"

"Wow, it talks!" Alex laughed.

The soldier just walked away, thinking they were actually going to listen to him.

"Listen carefully," Alice whispered. "When I got here, I was told by the Chesire Cat that I should ask the Queen how I could get home. But it led me straight into that trial. He was in the Lotus Forest. Find him and I believe he can tell you where to find evidence."

Alex remembered the Chesire Cat even from the book. Quite the character if he remembered correctly.

"Don't worry Alice," Alex held her hands. "We will prove you innocent and get you out of here. I promise."

Alice started to cry happy tears. "Oh thank you. You've all been so very kind. I wish you luck."

"Thanks," Alex said. "We'll probably need it."

"You are very welcome, Alex," Alice smiled. "You can enter the Lotus Forest from over there." She pointed with her fingers to the far left to reveal hedges slightly cut away to form a pth to the forest.

"Will do," Sora gave her a thumbs up. With that, Sora led the group through the hedge passage.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

The hedges were indeed cut, but not necessarily that well. Feet were stomped on and branches were pushed aside as the team trudged their way forward through. Soon enough, they made it out and were stunned by their surruondings. The Lotus Forest was a direct contrast to the bright, outdoors they had been in just recently. Alex couldn't help but wonder how the environment changed so quickly in this place.

Just remember. This is Wonderland. Anything can happen here, he said to himself.

They had just walked to an open area with brown dirt replacing the grass. The sky was gone. Little streaks of light shined through a ceiling full of vegetation. Brown and dark green grass towered over the team just like the hedges had. Giant lotus petals rose up from the ground. To their right, was a big tree stump that had been cut perfectly. The sound of birds chirping was the only good thing about this moody atmosphere. The chains on Sora's necklace jingled as he continued to twist his head to view his surroundings.

Suddenly, a head appeared right in front of Sora.

"Whoah!" Sora screamed.

"What?" Alex ran over to his friend. "What did you see?"

"It w-w-was a h-hea-d-d!" Sora stammered.

"What?" Alex said, just before it appeared infront of him.

"Yikes!" Alex yelled. The head was oval shaped with purple and pink stripes. Yellow eyes stared at them. It disappeared again.

"What the hell was that?" Sora asked. Alex had a pretty good idea what it was.

The head appeared for a final time on the tree stump, bobbing in the air. Suddenly, the body appeared on top of the head. It was a cat's body. The feet were bouncing off of the head, while laughter pierced the forest and gave Alex chills down his spine. The arms grabbed the head and place it in its rightful spot. The cat's grin was like a half moon, white and crescent shaped.

"Who the heck are you?!" Donald broke the silence by waving his arms furiously in the air.

"Who indeed?" The Chesire Cat asked playfully. "Poor Alice soon to lose her head and she's not guilty of a thing."

"If you know she's not guilty," Alex demanded, "then tell us where the real culprits are."

''The Chesire Cat has all the answers," he said. "But doesn't always tell. The answers, the culprit, and the cat all lie in darkness."

Well it doesn't take a genius to know that he's talking about the Heartless, Sora thought.

"Where are they?" Donald asked, losing his patience.

"Oh most of them have already left the forest," the cat said. "I won't tell you which exit. But that doesn't mean all have left." The Chesire Cat disappeared.

"What did he mean by not all of them have left?" Goofy asked.

"Obviously, some are still in this forest," Alex said. "We just have to find one and bring it to the queen."

"Bring?" Sora said. "As in grab it and drag to court? How are we supposed to do that without getting our hearts sucked out?"

"We lure it to the courtyard," Alex suggested. "If it sees us, it sees fresh hearts."

"Good idea Alex," Goofy said.

"First we have to find one," Sora pointed out. "Why don't we spread out and look for some."

The team branched out in different directions of the forest. Alex went near a small pond on the left side. Donald ventured into a little clearing up ahead that had been cut through to lay a path. The clearing was still surrounded by grass and it was circular. Flowers bloomed from the ground. Donald held his staff ready in case something jumped out at him.

Sora and Goofy continued further past a big tree in the center. They came to a path which branched off in two directions. Sora took right and Goofy took left. Sora was holding out his Keyblade because he knew the Heartless were attracted to it. Goofy was clutching his shield tightly to his body. His knees were shaking a little bit, mostly due to fright.

Crack!

Goofy quickly spun around to the sound. No one was there. Or so it seemed. Goofy remembered something from knight school about tracking. His instructor's voice still was drilled into his memory.

"Don't just pay attention to your position. Listen to the sounds elsewhere. Anyone can hear the crack of a branch or the heavy breathing of an individual, but what if your opponent is too smart for that. You must listen to nature around you. Birds were chirping before, but now they aren't. A squirrel scurries past you. It's not afraid of you, but something else."

Goofy stopped and listened. The birds were chirping and he didn't see any animals running away. But he knew in his gut that something was out there. Suddenly, Goofy noticed something. A whole colony of spiders was running the opposite direction away from him. He realized he couldn't hear the birds chirping. Goofy started to sweat. He saw a lizard scurrying away. It was here, this moment. Goofy yelled in fright.

And that was when the Soldier struck. Goofy put his shield up just in time to intercept metal claws tearing him apart. Goofy knew he couldn't kill it, so he started to run the other way. He was relieved to see Donald, Sora, and eventually Alex come running towards him.

"Goofy you did it," Donald said, looking proud of his partner.

"I kinda wish I didn't," Goofy said quickly before he started running again.

The others followed him. Alex looked back to see the Heartless right on his tail.

"Gotcha now ya little heart sucking freak," Alex muttered under his breath.

It didn't take long before the team sprinted into the courtyard. All the soldiers looked at them with interest. Sora saw Alice leaning against the bars to see what was happening. He gave her a wink for reassurance.

The Queen of Hearts looked down at them, "Well, have you brought me my evidence?"

At that moment, the Heartless burst into the courtyard, alarming even the soldiers.

"What is that thing?!" The Queen asked, frightened.

"That is your evidence missy," Donald pointed to Alice. "Now let her go free."

"This is the thing that tried to take your heart," Alex said.

Sora took out the Heartless with one brutal swipe with the Keyblade. "A deal is a deal. Let Alice go."

What happened next was not what any of the team expected. The Queen had a certain expression on her face. Not of gratitude or fright. It was pure anger. Alex realized that the Queen had never wanted Alice to be proved innocent. She had been playing with them. But Alex and the others had done the exact opposite. Not only did they find proof of Alice's innocence, but they were declaring the Queen was wrong. Alex saw in her face that she wasn't taking it well at all.

"Silence!" The Queen shreiked. "I am the law here! Article 29 states that anyone who defies the Queen is guilty!"

"That's bullcrap!" Alex yelled.

"Cards!" The Queen pointed to the team with fiery eyes. "Seize them at once!"

One of the black cards ran over to the cage and showed off a crank tower. The card started to turn the wheel until Alice's cage was all the way at the top of the Queen's podium.

"Oh! Gotta do this the hard way I see," Alex said, whipping out his sword. "That's fine with me. Any takers?!"

The response he got was every card in the courtyard pulled out their spears and axes.

"Damn! That's a lot of takers," Alex said.

"You guys keep them busy down here!" Sora yelled. "I'm going for the tower."

"You got it!" Donald and Goofy said in unison and drew their weapons.

The cards charged the trio on the ground and the brawl began.

A black card swung its axe at Alex, but missed. Alex took this opportunity to swipe his sword at a card to his left, but his blade was blocked by the shaft of the axe. These cards weren't going to be pushovers.

Donald shot the ace of spades, who was trying to attack Alex, with a fire spell. Alex ran towards Donald with the cards right behind him.

"Duck!" Alex slid on the grass just in time to dodge Donald's fire spell, which blasted the soldiers. The cards who weren't knocked out were tackled by Goofy. He slammed one in the face with his shield. A red card thrust his spear outward, but Goofy knocked it aside and kicked the soldier.

Alex swung his sword wildly, not even caring if it hit the soldiers. It just freaked them out. He blocked an obvious spear thrust and grabbed it with his right hand. He pulled the spear which brought the red card with it to the ground. Alex dodged an axe strike and sliced his sword horizontally, which cut the soldier. One black card swung his axe so hard that Alex had to block with his other hand, gripping the flat part of the sword. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a spear coming right for him, but before it reached him, it was blocked aside by Donald's staff. Donald thrust his staff right in the card's face and knocked him out.

"Get him you fools!" The Queen continued to scream, as she saw Sora heading for the crank tower.

Sora summoned the Keyblade and chopped a card that charged him. His momentum helped his blows to even tear the enemies' weapons out of their hands. Two red cards rushed him with their spears. Sora ducked and pushed the spears up with the blade. Then, he shot the cards with fireballs. One skilled red card tried to stab Sora, but it turned out to be a fake. He whipped the spear to whack Sora's legs. Sora twisted the Keyblade to the right and blocked low. The spear got stuck between the teeth of the Keyblade. This allowed Sora to push up and swing the spear to the ground, leaving the card open for a bash to the head.

Sora got a running start and leaped onto the Queen's podium. He saw the Queen staring angrily at him. Then, she swiped at him with her fan. Sora jumped over the fan, missing his legs, and landed. The Queen tried to strike again, but Sora blocked the blow. The Queen went for a straight thrust, but Sora had enough and grabbed the fan, throwing it aside.

"Cards, come to my aid!" She shrieked.

All of the red cards stopped what they were doing and charged for Sora. They began to climb on top of one another and formed a small staircase. A spade card climbed up and was soon on the edge of the podium with Sora. Sora ducked a swipe from the axe. He countered with a straight chop which was parried by the axe. The card struck horizontally, missed Sora, and got his axe stuck in the wooden podium. Sora shot the card with a fireball. The other cards attempted to get up, but were thwarted by a full bum rush by Alex, Donald, and Goofy.

"Sora go for it," Alex said.

Sora nodded and finally reached the tower. Instead of pulling the wheel the other way, Sora just started chopping it up with the Keyblade. In no time at all, the tower was destroyed. The others ran over to where the cage was coming down. They could finally get Alice out of here. The cage turned to its front. But there was noone inside. Alice wasn't there.

"What the-," Alex stammered.

"How is she gone?" Sora wondered.

The two looked back at Donald and Goofy who appeared just as puzzled as they were. How could someone just vanish like that? From a cage even?

"You fools!" The Queen screamed. "Find the one who's behind all this. I don't care how you do it."

"Guys, let's get out of here," Alex suggested. The others nodded and followed Alex back into the Lotus Forest.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

"What the heck is going on around here?!" Donald complained.

The team trudged its way through the forest, pushing away large blades of grass. The loss of Alice stung, but even more so because they had a good idea what could have happened to her.

"It was the Heartless," Sora said. "They must have sneaked into her cage while we were fighting with the guards. Some keybearer I am."

Alex looked over at Sora."Don't beat yourself up man. There was nothing you could have done."

"Oh no! Did you lose something? Or rather someone?" The Chesire Cat appeared in full form in front of the team.

"Alice is gone," Goofy explained. "Have you seen her?"

"Alice, no," he said. "But shadows, yes."

"Where did they go?" Sora asked. "Tell me now!"

"Oh, that way, this way, it doesn't really matter," the cat purred. "Everything is mixed up thanks to the shadows. But if you require a hint, then why don't you step deeper into the forest. Find the garden and go from there." The Chesire Cat gave a small giggle and disappeared.

Sora turned to his friends. "Well, you heard him. Let's keep going."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Goofy stood up straight and saluted his leader, earning strange looks from Donald and Alex.

They kept going until they started to see light coming up ahead. They ran faster, eager to see what it was, even if it was Heartless. It turned out to be a tea party. A deserted one. There was a straight table that seemed fit to feed a whole family. Chairs of different shapes and sizes were set along the table. There was a small house to the left. At the head of the table, was a picture of a man in a huge hat and a hare. Alex knew what this place was. This was where the Mad Hatter resided. He really hoped they didn't have to deal with him too. The Queen had been enough.

"What is this?" Sora asked. He walked over to the table and touched a chair.

"Is this a tea party?" Donald wondered.

"Yep it is," Goofy said, after he had taken a drink out of a teacup.

"Then where's the party?" Sora asked. "This is kinda creepy."

"Maybe the Heartless scared them off," Alex suggested.

"Looks like it," Goofy said. "They didn't even finish their cake." He reached down to take a piece.

"Goofy don't!" Donald quacked.

Right as Goofy took a bite, the entire table vanished along with the chairs. The light shining through the trees dimmed and a Heartless appeared. But they hadn't encountered this one before. This Heartless was fat, with a big belly. Its yellow eyes shined through a small helmet on its head. It was wearing a purple jumpsuit that was tied by yellow ropes at the front. It had purple chains on its arms that had been broken apart.

"That's a biggun'!" Alex yelled and pulled out his sword. The others did the same.

The Heartless charged at Sora, who quickly rolled out of the way. It turned around slowly and Sora attacked with the Keyblade, but the blade just bounced off the belly. Sora had a second to wonder why, before the Heartless punched him in the gut, sending him flying into a tree. Goofy charged and slammed his shield into the stomach. The Heartless was pushed back, but it didn't faze him. Goofy dodged an overhead slam and cleared the way for Alex to attack. Alex jumped up and swung the sword at the head. The sword clanged against metal, but Alex still held on to the head. The Heartless shook its head from side to side, trying to buck Alex off. Donald took this opportunity to shoot the creature with a fire spell. The monster groaned as the flames burst over its body, narrowly missing Alex. Fire spells hurt it, so Donald unleashed some more. Finally, Sora jumped from the trees, getting behind the Heartless and stabbed it in the back.

"Jeez!" Alex moaned. "These guys just keep getting bigger."

"And stronger," Sora added. "Knocked the wind out of me."

"Let's heal ourselves up," Donald suggested.

Each of them reached into their pockets and pulled out small bottles of potion. They each took a drink and instantly felt better.

"Only one way to go from here guys," Sora motioned to the house. It had a door.

"Let's do it," Alex said. Sora led the way and opened the door.

They never did enter a house. What they did enter was the exact same room they had started out in. The bizarre room with its bright colors.

"How about that?" Alex crossed his arms. "We just walked in one huge circle."

"So where do we go from here?" Goofy asked. Nobody answered.

"How about up?!"

The group followed the voice up to the table. The Chesire Cat appeared before them once more.

"You're a regular Houdini y'know that," Alex said, not paying attention to the strange looks from Sora.

"Oh I've been called many things," the cat grinned. "But if you want to see a real show, the view is far better from up here."

Sora assumed the cat wanted them to get on the table, so he and the group climbed onto the chair and jumped to the table. The Chesire Cat was grinning even more than usual. Suddenly, he started dancing.

"The shadows shall be here soon," The Chesire Cat laughed. "Are you prepared for the worst, boys? If not, then too bad. Ha-ha-ha!"

Sora and the others wondered what the heck this crazy cat was talking about. The room began to rumble. Goofy fell lost his balance, but still managed to stay on the table. Alex summoned his sword and pointed it at the cat.

"What did you do?!" Alex yelled.

"Nothing," The cat responded. "Consider this your first test. You wanted to find Alice, correct. Well you can't find her if you're dead, right?"

A huge monster dropped from the ceiling and slammed into the ground. It was the wierdest thing Sora had seen yet. It had two legs that split down the middle to make it seem like four. The thighs were red, and the knee down was black. Both parts of the leg came together at the feet, which were curved and appeared to be sharp. The arms were long strips of black paper that were zig-zagged. The fingers were holding large purple clubs. Its head or "heads", were five square-shaped red and black heads put on top of one another. All the eyes were yellow and had pointy teeth. The creature stared at the team, with all ten eyes. Alex's jaw dropped at the sight of this malevolent creature.

"Behold, the Trickmaster!" The Chesire Cat thrust his arms in the air for dramatic effect. Then, he disappeared.

"Look out!" Goofy yelled, as the Trickmaster swung his clubs at the table. All four of them leaped from the table and landed not so gracefully on the ground.

"Everyone," Sora said. "Go for its heads!" The others nodded and summoned their weapons. The Trickmaster circled the table and saw them.

"Trickmaster huh?" Alex said. "Well, we got some tricks of our own."

He gripped his sword and charged at the massive Heartless. The Trickmaster picked up his leg and tried to stomp on the small boy. Alex narrowly rolled out of the way as the feet cracked the ground. Donald turned its attention away from Alex by shooting fireballs. Some of them hit its armored body, which had no effect. But some of them did hit the heads, which groaned in agony. The Trickmaster swung its clubs at Donald. The duck jumped as high as he could, but the Trickmaster just whipped the club upwards to smack Donald.

Alex came from behind and grabbed the Heatless' leg. He put his whole body on it, which caused the Trickmaster to lose some balance, lowering its head. Goofy took off in a sprint and leaped into the air, bashing one of the faces. Goofy hit the ground, looking up just in time to see a purple club speeding towards him. He thrust his shield up just in time to block the club, but the Trickmaster expected that and kicked out its leg, which hit Goofy head on.

Sora had been taking this time to climb back onto the table. This way he could be the same height as the monster. As soon as he got up there, he started to barrage the monster with fire spells. The heads recoiled from the blasts. Sora fired one last fireball, but this time the Trickmaster blocked it with its club. Then, the club itself caught on fire. Sora narrowed his eyes. This couldn't be good. The Trickmaster didn't seem afraid of this. It brought its other club over and put the two of them together. Now it had two flaming clubs.

"Weeell, that's not good at all," Sora mumbled.

The Trickmaster swung its feiry clubs at the Keybearer. Sora narrowly dodged the fire. He started to sweat because of the heat. The Trickmaster raised its hands to the heavens and brought them down. The table disappeared and Sora screamed as he fell to the ground. He landed on his butt. Sora quickly popped open another potion and got back to his feet.

"Sora, watch out!" Alex yelled.

Sora turned back to the Trickmaster to see it shoot its own fireballs at the team. Alex pushed Sora and himself out of the way as a fireball missed them and hit the grandfather clock, causing an explosion.

"This is getting way to hot for my tastes," Alex said. "We gotta take this guy out now."

The Trickmaster rushed over to them and kicked at them. Alex backed out of a kick, falling to the ground. Adreniline coursed through his veins, which helped him get up fast enough to dodge another fire strike. The Trickmaster attempted another fire attack, but was hit by a Blizzard spell, courtesy of Donald Duck. The fire on the clubs went out.

"That's how we gotta beat this thing," Sora realized. "With cold."

Donald passed Goofy a potion, which he drank. Then, Goofy changed his grip on the shield and threw it like a discus. The shield cut into one of the faces, but the others weren't affected. Donald ran in between club strikes and shot some blizzard spells right at the body. The Trickmaster slowed down long enough for Alex and Sora to bash it with their blades. Alex went even further and cut off one of the monsters arms. The moster quickly got back up and continued to swing at them with its one arm.

"Having problems?"

Sora turned to see the Chesire Cat. "It looks like you're in need of assistance."

"No more gifts from you," Sora growled. "How would you know how to kill this thing?"

"I don't," The cat shrugged its shoulders. "But I can give you something that might help."

"Like, what?" Sora asked.

"Magic," The Chesire Cat smiled.

Suddenly, the tip of the Keyblade glowed a bright blue. Sora realized that the cat had given him magic. Magic that Donald had used earlier. He just needed to use it.

"Guys, distract it!" Sora yelled. Alex didn't know what Sora was up too, but he nodded.

Alex blocked a club swing, which felt like his arm had been broken. He shot a fire spell back up at the heads, which hit home. The Trickmaster retaliated with an uppercut that sent Alex flying across the room onto the stove. Donald and Goofy charged it together, with Donald whacking the legs with his staff, while Goofy climbed onto the chair that hadn't been destroyed, and leaped onto the shoulder of the monster. Goofy gripped the monster with all his might. He leaped over to the heads and punched all of them. The Trickmaster fell to the ground.

"Sora now!" Alex yelled.

Sora concentrated as deeply as he could. He pointed the Keyblade at the Trickmaster, which was starting to get up. Sora yelled with all his heart, "DEEP FREEZE!"

Icicles shot out from the Keyblade and began to pierce the Trickmaster. The monster roared in pain. The cold spread from its legs to the heads until the monster was finally frozen. The team had defeated the Heartless.

"Yeah!" Alex hollered. "Go Sora!"

"What a racket!"

Alex saw the doorknob yawn and open its eyes. "How's a doorknob to get any sleep around here?" It yawned once more.

Sora saw something glimmer in the doorknob's mouth. The others came over and peered inside. The object shimmered once more. It was a keyhole. The Keyblade began to rattle in Sora's arms. Sora gasped in wonder as the Keyblade forcefully pointed itself at the keyhole. A beam of light shot out of the Keyblade and entered the keyhole. The keyhole shined and shimmered away with a locking sound.

"What was that?" Donald whispered.

"It sounded like it closed," Goofy said.

Sora looked more closely at the Keyblade. He thought its main purpose was to kill Heartless. But now there was this strange development. Maybe the Keyblade was meant for more than just killing creatures of darkness.

Something fell out of the doorknob's mouth as it was closing. It was a small block that looked flexible. It shined brightly with its orange color.

"It's a Gummi block," Goofy pracitcally shrieked with delight. "But this one's not like the others. No sir."

"Ok," Donald grabbed the Gummi from Goofy. "I'll hold on to it. You have a tendancy to lose things."

"Splendid! You're quite the hero!" The Chesire Cat said.

Alex looked at the cat and started to ask a question, but the cat cut him off.

"If you're looking for Alice, she's not here," The cat said.

"Then where did she go?" Alex said through gritted teeth.

"She's gone!" The cat said. "Off with the shadows, into the darkness." That Chesire Cat gave a final bow and disappeared.

Sora breathed hard and bowed his head. He had failed.

Donald looked at Sora sympathetically and said, "Look, let's go back to the Gummi Ship. Who knows? We might find her in another world."

Sora gave a half-smile to Donald and shrugged his shoulders, wondering if the duck himself actuall believed it.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

The stars were a welcoming sight from all the chaos that was Wonderland. Alex stared into space as he felt the Gummi Ship flying away from the planet. He took a big sigh and realized he needed some sleep. Sora was doing the same thing, but his thoughts weren't on sleep. He had failed to save Alice and he didn't even find Riku or Kairi. He saw Alex about to head to the lower level when he turned around.

"So now that we don't have a live card deck on our throats," Alex said. "Why don't you inform Sora and I about this little rule you conjured up?"

Donald stamped his foot. "I didn't make it up. Which you would have known if you hadn't gone sprinting into a trial."

"I had to do something," Sora said.

"Look," Donald explained. "You can't just go around getting involved in every damsel in distress you see. In case you've forgotten, the Heartless are after you. What do you think people are going to start doing when they find out about them? It won't be good."

"Why not?" Sora asked.

"People believe what they want to believe," Donald continued. "And they don't want to be believin' that there are creatures out there that can take their hearts. If they found out, the whole world would go into chaos. And what thrives on chaos?"

"The Heartless," Goofy finished.

Alex stopped whatever complaint he was going to make to think about that. The duck kind of had a point. But there was just one thing wrong with it.

"Not telling people is even worse," Sora exclaimed. "If you did tell them, they could better prepare themselves."

"Actually," Goofy said. "That girl at Traverse Town, Aerith, told us that Heartless tend to go after the people who actually know about them."

"Why is that?" Alex asked.

"I guess the Heartless would want to stop those people from tellin' other folks about them," Goofy explained.

"It would make it easier for them," Donald agreed.

"Well we're screwed," Alex threw up his arms in frustration. "We don't tell them, they might get attacked. We do tell them and they will get attacked. I'm not liking these odds."

"But Alex," Sora turned toward him. "That's why I have this." Sora summoned the Keyblade in his hand. The blade seemed to give more light through the forest.

"I guess it's all just of a matter of believing," Sora said as he held the Keyblade. "Believing that we can stop them."

"I don't know," Alex said. He was still unsure about this.

"Gawrsh guys," Goofy said. "You can't save everyone."

"That's not true!" Alex yelled. A brief memory flashed to the night his parents died.

The others hadn't expected the outburst from Alex.

"Sora, if you beleive in the Keyblade so much," Alex said, "then why couldn't it save Alice from the Heartless?"

"Alex, now that's not fair," Goofy protested.

Alex turned to see Sora take a few muffled breaths and turn away. He realized what he just said.

"Sora I-I-I'm sorry," Alex apologized. "I didn't mean that. I don't know why I said it. I guess I'm still just shook up about the whole thing."

"It's okay," Sora said. "I know you're upset."

"I'm gonna get some sleep," Alex said. He climbed down the ladder and went to his room.

Donald didn't say anything, but it sounded like there was more pain behind Alex's words than Sora thought. It almost sounded like Alex was talking about someone else. He wasn't completely sure, but that was the first time that Donald had ever questioned the true identity of Alex Bane.


	11. The Coliseum

Chapter 11: The Coliseum

Alex knew he was having a nightmare. He knew it right as it started. A dark hallway twisted and turned, making him disoriented as he tried to walk through it. His vision was blurry and he kept hearing faint echoes of voices. Alex managed to walk down to the end of the hallway and came across a staircase. The setup of the place he was in was all too familiar to Alex. He didn't want to go down the stairs, but he couldn't control his dreams. His legs wobbled with each step he took. The railing was a lifesaver for Alex's balance. The staircase curved to the right and Alex hesitantly made the turn. He knew where he was now. Alex even knew when he was.

The sight before him was one that never left his thoughts, yet it still caught Alex by surprise. He saw himself on the ground floor of the house clutching a baseball bat. His brother, mother, and father each holding objects of their own. Alex could see the villainous Dark Alex grinning through the darkness, his yellow eyes piercing the night and shining right through Alex's soul. Alex tried to call out to his family and his dream self to get away, but he knew they couldn't hear him.

The front door opened and a blur of blond hair entered the house. Alex knew what happened next. His evil copy grabbed Ashley and thrust his arm into her heart, sucking it out. The look on Dark Alex's face was one of ecstasy, as if he got some twisted sexual pleasure from this. Alex struggled to breathe as Ashley hit the floor, never to move again. Alex's feet felt as though they were cemented to the ground. He began to wonder what kind of twisted God would allow him to relive this moment.

The dream Alex screamed and rushed the evil twin, only to get punched in the stomach and crash against the wall. The real Alex could only watch as Dark Alex grabbed his brother with unbelievable strength and did what he did to Ashley. He saw his brother's lips move as Sean whispered his last dying wishes for Alex.

_I didn't fail you Sean_, Alex thought. _I sent that bastard back to hell._

That thought still wasn't enough to stop the tears from forming. A tear hit the floor just as Sean Bane did. Alex saw his mother run toward Dark Alex, tears streaming down her face and eyes that lusted for the bloodshed of Sean's murderer. Dark Alex just smiled and sucked out Rachel's heart. Alex clenched his fists. Seeing this made Alex want to bring Dark Alex back from wherever he was and beat him to death with his own hands.

Alex knew the dream was almost at its climax. Dark Alex was shot by his dad, Michael, but that didn't stop the Heartless. Alex's lip quivered as he saw his father shot to death with his own gun. And Dark Alex had a smile on every step of the way. Alex just wanted it to be over. He wanted to wake up, not remembering the dream. But he knew that it would never shove the memory out of his mind or his heart.

Suddenly, the entire scene seemed to rewind itself. Alex watched as Michael got back up with the gun in his hands. His mother was still holding the skillet, and his brother was wasn't dead. Alex didn't know what had happened. The scene began to replay. The deaths of his family members. But this time, Alex noticed something different. Something he hadn't seen before.

What he saw made him cry even harder, mostly in disbelief. Dark Alex punched the dream Alex into the wall and took Sean's heart. The real Alex kept his eyes squarely on the dream version of himself. He saw the dream Alex get up from the ground, shaking debris from the wall he hit off of his back. Memories started to come back to the real Alex of what happened that night. He remembered getting slammed into the wall, but the next thing he remembered was driving in the car. Alex didn't remember what had happened between then.

He watched as the dream Alex continued to watch the slaughter of his family as Dark Alex made his way to his mother once more. But instead of rushing to help his mom, the dream Alex ran through the back door. Running away! The sight shattered Alex's world. When his family needed him the most, he ran away like a coward. He couldn't believe it. Perhaps he could have stopped Dark Alex. Or he could have yelled for help. But that is not what Alex had done. He had left the only family he had behind in the hands of a monster.

* * *

Sora awakened from his sleep because of moans and ,soon enough, screams coming from Alex's room. He quickly got out of bed and ran over to the room. Sora saw Alex twisting around in bed.

"NO! NO! I won't believe it!" Alex kept screaming.

Sora ran over to the side of the bed, shaking Alex and yelling his name, "Alex! Alex! Wake up! You're having a nightmare."

Alex didn't stop twisting. His cheeks were wet with tears. Sora knew Alex was having one hell of a bad dream. He decided to take drastic measures and slapped Alex across the face. Alex's eyes shot open. He was breathing hard and took a few looks around, as if he needed to make sure of where he was. Then he saw his friend.

"Sora," Alex whispered. "What happened?"

"You were having a nightmare," Sora explained. "Must have been a doozy too. You were crying and everything."

"I was," Alex touched his face and felt wetness. "Wow. I guess I was."

"You sure you're okay?" Sora asked, with more than a hint of concern in his voice. "It wasn't about Alice, was it?"

"No," Alex replied. "It wasn't about her."

"Do you remember anything?" Sora asked.

Alex looked straight into Sora's eyes and said, "No."

Of course, it was a lie. Alex remembered exactly what had happened, but he couldn't tell Sora that. He didn't want Sora to look at him differently just because he wasn't from the islands. He didn't want to be seen as a freak. He had seen some of the expressions on Sora's face as they went through Wonderland. Most of them were weird looks. Alex had known plenty of kids at his school that had gotten those looks and he had been glad that he wasn't one of them. He wanted to keep it that way.

"Well," Sora began, "it's probably time we got up anyway. Donald said we should be getting to the next world pretty soon."

"Any idea what it is?" Alex asked as he got out of bed and put on his clothes.

"Nope," Sora shook his head. "Hopefully this one doesn't have any crazy rulers like the last one."

"We can hope," Alex nodded in agreement.

The two exited Alex's room and climbed their way up the ladder into the cockpit of the Gummi Ship. Donald and Goofy were in their usual positions. Donald was keeping a sharp lookout for any Heartless ships. His hands clutched the steering wheel tightly. Goofy was taking a little snooze in his chair. Sora wondered how Goofy didn't keep waking himself up with the sound of his own snoring.

Donald turned to the boys and smiled. "We're almost there boys."

"Did Chip and Dale tell you what it was?" Alex asked.

"Apparently," Donald explained. "The whole world is just one big arena. It was built way back when. All made of stone."

"What's the world called?" Sora asked.

Goofy turned to Sora and replied, "Olympus."

Alex's eyes grew wide, due to dozens of realizations at once. He had learned about the Greek myths in school. Mount Olympus was where the gods resided. But that wasn't the only reason Alex was excited. He assumed the world they were going to was still Disney-based. And there was only one Disney movie that Alex could think of that had to do with Greek mythology.

"What are you smiling about?" Donald inquired, smirking.

"Oh now he's smiling," Sora grinned. "And this is the same guy who moments ago was having a nightmare."

"Nightmare?" Goofy looked a little lost.

"It's nothing," Alex said. "I don't even remember it."

"Approaching target," the computer said.

_Gee thanks, _Donald thought. _We have eyes you know._

"Look!" Goofy pointed out the window. "There it is!" The others turned to see a small object floating in the distance.

"Okay everyone," Donald jumped from his chair. "You know the drill."

Goofy instantly sprinted to the desk with the steering mechanism and cowered behind it.

"Not that drill you idiot!" Donald stamped his foot. "Just get to the teleporter."

"Oh, sorry," Goofy chuckled and led the way down the ladder.

They entered the VR room just as they had last time. They stepped on the glass portion of the floor and waited for the computer to begin countdown. Alex cracked his knuckles, Sora stretched his neck out, Donald tapped his foot on the ground, and Goofy just stood there, yawning.

"5...4...3...2...1...0!" Sora closed his eyes as he felt the ground leave him. He was getting used to this. In no time at all, he felt the ground return. He felt the dusty wind blowing against his face, so he shielded his eyes with his hands as he opened them. He found himself staring at a large set of wooden double doors

The doors opened and the group stepped inside for a wondrous sight. An open square lay before them with stone walls surrounding them. Golden stands were lit with fire, creating the outline of the square. Two, tall, golden statues stood on either side of a large door in the distance, which had two thunderbolts on each side. The statues were of men outfitted in Greek armor and shields. Their swords crossed right over the large door, which was surrounded by pillars. Alex put two and two together and realized that they were at Disney's version of the Olympus Coliseum.

"Wow," Donald stood in awe.

"How did they build something so huge?" Sora wondered aloud.

"Kinda cool, huh?" Goofy smiled.

"I guess we have to move forward," Alex pointed to the large door in the distance.

"Yes. Let's," Sora started walking forward and the others followed. The air was warm and Alex was already sweating, so he took his jacket off. It took three of them to open the door, but they eventually made it inside.

Alex viewed it as the Olympian version of a lobby. The stone room was illuminated by twin torches on each side of the wall. Underneath one of the torches, was a square, stone pedestal that looked attached to the ground. In front of them, was a doorway that was cut off by a metal chain, and attached to it was a sign that said "Closed". By the doorway was another pedestal that was underneath a poster labled "Rules". A creature was standing on the pedestal, inscripting new rules onto the parchment.

He was a small, fat man except for below the belly. The legs were coated with fur and instead of feet, he had hooves. From the torso up, he looked like a man. His body was slightly red and he had curly hair with two horns sticking out. He had a goatee and a tail that wagged on occasion. It was the strangest thing Sora had ever seen. This even beat cards that could talk. Alex pushed Sora forward, earning him a dirty look.

Sora stepped forward nervously and said, "Ummm, hi?"

"Good timing!" The creature was too busy with the rules list to turn around. "Give me a hand, will ya?"

He pointed to the large stone pedestal. "Move that annoying thing over there for me. You know how it is, I gotta spruce this place up for the games."

Sora wanted to protest, but Alex shook his head. Sora shrugged and figured he might as well do what the guy said and make a good first impression. Sora crouched to get a better grip on the pedestal and pushed. It didn't move. Sora dug his feet into the ground for more traction and pushed even harder. The pedestal still didn't move.

"This thing weighs a ton!" Sora exclaimed.

Alex joined in to help Sora and they both pushed with everything they had. It wouldn't move. Sora was starting to get aggravated. He motioned for Donald and Goofy to come over and help, thinking that with four people they could surely push it. That theory was dashed in about five seconds. The pedestal would not leave its spot.

Sora got up and turned to the creature. "It's way too heavy mister!"

The creature straightened up like an arrow, having a hard time believing what he was hearing. "Whaaaat?! Too heavy. Since when have you been such a little-."

The creature had turned around and stopped mid sentence when he saw who he was talking to. "Oh! Wrong guy. What the heck do ya think you're doin' here kid?"

The creature hopped off his pedestal and started walking threateningly, toward Sora. "This here's the world famous Coliseum. Heroes only! And I got my hands full preparin' for the games. So run along pipsqueaks!"

"Who're you calling pipsqueak?!" Alex asked. "Dude, have you looked in the mirror lately?"

The creature growled at the insult and, but saw the bad look Sora was giving him and sighed. "Look, it's like this. Heroes are comin' from all over to fight ferocious monsters right here in the Coliseum."

Donald narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. "You've got heroes standing right in front of you, in case you hadn't noticed."

"No! I hadn't," The creature retorted.

Goofy put his arms on Sora's shoulders. "Yep, he's a real hero chosen by the Keyblade." Sora gave Goofy a smile.

"And we're heroes too," Donald added, stressing that Sora wasn't the only person in the room.

"Hero?! You mean those runts?! Aaa-ha-ha-ha-ha!" The creature clutched his belly and gasped for air.

"What's so funny?" Sora asked. "Alex and I have fought a bunch of monsters."

"And we beat 'em all!" Alex gave Sora a high five.

The creature got serious quickly. "Hey, if you can't even move this...." He began to push on the pedestal, but it wouldn't move. Everyone just stared at him. "You can't call yourself......" He pressed his back against it and pushed with his hooves. Alex just smiled and yawned. ".......a Hero!" The creature tried one more time before he sat on the ground, breathing deeply.

"That's what puttin' on weight does to ya buddy," Alex laughed.

"Alright," The creature struggled to get back up. "So it takes more than brawn. Well...well let's see what you can do."

"What did you have in mind?" Sora asked.

"Just follow me," The creature unhooked the metal fence blocking the way forward. "I hope you're ready. This is where the boys get separated from the men. Become a hero or die a coward. Give up or keep going. This is where you're tested by the gods. Oh by the way, the name's Phil."

* * *

Phil led the way through the doorway and the team was hit by a sudden rush of wind. Alex shielded his eyes from the sun and squinted to see where they were. They were in the Coliseum itself. Bleachers as high as Alex could see rose above them, until Alex thought they were going to engulf him and everyone else in it. On the far sides, there were caged doorways which Alex guessed were used to hold particularly nasty beasts until they could be brought out to feast on human flesh. Or in Alex's case, hearts. The ground in the Coliseum was pure sand, but it was shaped as smooth as possible. It wasn't the comfortable and soft sand found on Destiny Islands, but Alex could see how it would aid warriors in keeping their footing and it would provide a better cushioned floor if they did fall, or get slammed into the ground by their opponent.

Goofy almost made himself dizzy from so much turning around. Donald had an even more impressed look on his face than he did when he saw the outside. No one was in the coliseum, but numbers of wooden barrels populated the arena portion.

"What are those for?" Alex pointed at the barrels.

"That is your challenge," Phil explained.

"Challenge?" Sora raised an eyebrow.

"Time limit challenge." Phil explained. "If you can destroy all these barrels within the allotted time, I may consider you for the games."

Donald walked over to Sora. "Why are we wasting our time here? It's obvious the king isn't here and I don't see your friends anywhere. Let's just go."

"Aw come on Donald," Sora said. "A little competition never hurt anyone."

"Now you listen here-."

"You start in three....two....one.... begin!" Phil waved his hand in the air like in a race with the person holding the flag.

Sora raced forward, summoning the Keyblade as he went, and sliced through a barrel. The Keybearer switched direction and leaped over to his left. Another barrel was smashed aside by the Keyblade. Sora destroyed the next two by shooting fireballs and bullets of ice. Sora made five quick slashes to destroy an entire row of them. He pointed the Keyblade to his side and finished off another with a blizzard spell.

Phil watched Sora with great interest. The kid knew magic. Maybe there was hope for him after all. Donald just watched Sora, his temper growing by the minute. This kid just seemed to undermine him at every turn. He couldn't believe how selfish Sora was being. Giving up looking for his friends at the sake of his own ego.

"Thirty seconds!" Phil yelled, just as Sora finished off the last barrel.

"The time limit was forty seconds," Phil said. "Y'know you ain't bad kid."

"Looks like I'm headed for the games," Sora put his hands behind his head and grinned sheepishly.

Phil stopped the smile by saying, "Afraid not."

Alex couldn't believe what he just heard. "Are you serious? We just passed your test. Why can't we participate in the games?"

"First, Sora was the only one who passed the test. You guys didn't do it," Phil pointed out. "But most of all, two words, you guys ain't heroes!"

Goofy counted the words on his fingers. That didn't add up to four.

"Come on!" Sora complained. He really wanted a chance to show how strong he'd gotten. Phil just turned and folded his arms, adamant in his decision.

"Y'know what, I'm getting out of here," Alex raised up his arms in defeat. "It's starting to smell real bad. Like goat."

Alex led the way out of the lobby and back into the sun. Sora walked by him, a look of defeat on his face. First Alice, and now this. How could he ever find his friends? He can't even get into a tournament. He looked at the Keyblade still clutched in his hand. For being such a powerful weapon, it hadn't helped him get anywhere.

Donald walked by Sora with a smug look on his face. "I told you we shouldn't have wasted our time."

"You seemed to be liking the idea of being a hero," Sora snarled. "Why don't you quit putting blame on me and hold yourself accountable for once?"

"Guys stop," Goofy stood in between them. "We're all frustrated, but the important thing is that the Heartless didn't attack us. Which leaves us still alive to search for our friends."

Alex nodded. "You're right Goofy. We need to keep looking."

**"Man, he is rather a stubborn old goat, wouldn't you say?" **A mysterious voice said.

Sora twisted around to see who spoke. It turned out to be an even odder character than Phil was. The man was tall and blue-skinned, wearing a black toga. His blue hair was moving and Sora looked closer to see that it was blue fire. He waved to the group, showing off sharp teeth between black lips.

"Who are you?" Donald asked.

The man started to move toward him waving his arms in defense. **"Whoa, whoa, wait, hold on there fuzz boy. Now let me guess. You guys wanna enter the games, right?"**

The man casually draped his arm around Sora's shoulder, sending chills down Sora's spine. **"Well then, get a load of this."**

He cupped his fingers together and started humming for dramatic effect. White light pierced through his fingers until a thin strip of paper was being held in between his fingers. The paper had thunderbolts drawn across it.

"Is this what I think it is?" Sora said, starting to smile. "A pass?"

**"You betcha,"** The man grinned mischievously.

"All right," Alex thrust a fist into the air.

Donald just shook his head. This was just a giant waste of time of needless fighting.

The man started to walk away and mumbled under his breath, **"Good luck kid. I'm pullin' for you, little shorty."** He smirked under his breath and nearly laughed aloud. He was such a bad liar. The man teleported away before the others even knew he was gone.

Phil had just begun putting the finishing touches on the poster of rules. He was scraping the rule on with a sharp rock. He had to be perfect or else he would tear the entire poster, but Phil was confident in his abilities. Until Sora and company came charging through the door, taking the satyr by surprise.

"Oh Phil!" Sora yelled.

Phil lost his concentration and ripped a large chunk of the parchment. He gasped and threw the rock to the ground. He turned to the group with fire in his eyes.

"Is it just me or is he redder than usual?" Alex asked.

"Whaddaya want?!" Phil bellowed at the top of his lungs. "I thought I told you pipsqueaks to get lost!"

"Okay enough with the pipsqueak thing okay," Sora said. "Looky what we have here."

Phil stared in horror as Sora pulled out a genuine tournament pass. How did they get one so fast? Phil grabbed it to make sure of its authenticity. To his dismay, it passed.

"How did you get one of these?" Phil asked, suspicious.

"Our little secret," Alex said quickly. "Now we can enter the games, right?"

Phil took one last look at the pass and sighed. "Yeah, you guys can."

"All right!" Sora made a fist in victory.

Phil unhooked the chain once more leading to the Coliseum. "You guys better watch yourselves. Some weirdos signed up for the game. Strange thing is, I don't even see how these guys did. They don't even have real hands."

Alex glanced over at Sora. Sora nodded. They knew what was up. Heartless.

* * *

The team walked into the Coliseum, weapons drawn. They were ready to face their enemies. Phil took his place near the entrance sitting on a bench, ready to yell any helpful advice. The group walked into the center of the arena, waiting for their opponents to emerge from the caged doorways that held them.

"Watch out!" Phil screamed. Sora turned just in time to slice a Shadow in the air.

Many other Shadows began to populate the area and the team spread out. Alex stabbed downward at a Shadow and brought his blade up to slice another. Donald blew Shadows away with fire and froze them with ice, then he whacked the frozen ones until they shattered. Goofy punched an airborne Shadow into another one. He blocked a claw strike from one and kicked it.

Phil was impressed at how quickly they finished off the creatures. It appeared they had done this before.

The second match breezed by just as quickly with more Shadows thrown into the mix, but it proved no challenge for the team. The third match added in Soldier Heartless, which added difficulty to the match, but not too much.

The fourth match introduced the group to magic casting Heartless. Alex could only describe them as red, floating bells with yellow eyes. They cast fire spells. Alex dodged one and struck another which sent the fireball blasting back to the Heartless. To Alex's dismay, the Heartless just absorbed it. Sora just leaped in the air and attacked them. Donald and a Heartless each cast a spell at the same time and they canceled each other out in a explosion. Donald used the smoke from it as a cover for him to get closer and whack the Heartless into next week.

The fifth and penultimate match was against the same large bodied Heartless the group had encountered in Wonderland. They dealt with it easily enough.

"Break!" Phil yelled and the team came bustling over for a drink.

Phil complimented them as they drank. "You guys aren't doin' too bad. I wish he was here to see this."

"Who?" Goofy asked as he finished off a drink of water.

"Hercules," Phil said with an extra dose of admiration. "Now he's the real deal. A real hero if I ever saw one. The best I've ever trained. Sure is too bad that he's off visiting his father." Alex knew the story behind Hercules. His father was Zeus.

"Best you've ever trained?" Sora said. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that's my job kid," Phil said. "I train heroes. Some of the best you'll ever hear about were trained by me, including Hercules."

"Wow," Donald said. "I never would've guessed."

Phil turned and stared at Donald. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Donald replied.

Alex was dousing his face with water when he heard footsteps coming his way. He turned, expecting to see Heartless, but saw something even worse.

The man had spiky, blond hair and very blue eyes. He was tall and obviously muscular. He was wearing a bluish, black muscle shirt and very baggy pants. Around his stomach, were various belts of brown and black. His leather boots scrunched against the sand as he walked. On the hip of his right leg, were three curved armor plates. His muscular arms were held back by metal bands around them and his hands were covered by fingerless gloves. On his left shoulder, was a metal armored plate that looked like it had begun to rust. Over his shoulders, he wore a maroon cape that covered the lower half of his face. The end of the cape whipped in the wind and looked like it had been ripped in battle.

The man was attention grabbing enough, but that wasn't what the team was looking at. Alex had a quick deja vu to his first encounter with Leon, because this was exactly the same. The man was holding a sword. It was the largest, most powerful looking sword that Alex had ever seen. It was even bigger than the Leon's Gunblade. The sword was easily as tall as Sora and the width wasn't far off either. The metal sword gleamed in the sunlight and Sora wondered how this man was carrying it. It must have weighed a ton. The man clutched the red hilt of the sword with one hand as he walked past.

The man stared at Sora as he walked. Sora stared right back. Both of them could tell that it was a silent challenge to the other. The man turned his head and walked off confidently. Sora turned back to see Alex having a worried look in his eye.

"Gawrsh, uh, Phil," Goofy gulped. "That guy doesn't happen to be our opponent, does he?"

"Yep," Phil said, not having noticed the scared look of the team. "He's in the tournament. You're gonna go up against him next."

* * *

Unbeknownst to the team, the spiky haired man had entered through the caged door. He stopped just enough for the door to come back down. Light seeped through the bars and it allowed the man to see the other presence within the room. The man didn't like him all that much. But then again, who would like the God of the Underworld.

The fire atop Hades' head seemed to dance along. It meant that Hades was excited for something.

**"Okay, that little punk is your next opponent, okay?"** Hades pointed to Sora through the bars. **"So, don't blow it. Just take the little bastard out."**

The blond haired man smirked. "Let me get this straight. The great God of the Underworld is afraid of a kid. How sad. Sorry but my contract says-."

Hades yelled angrily. **"I know. You think I don't know? I'm the guy who wrote the contract. Now I know it says that you're only required to kill Hercules in this tournament. But you gotta fight these twerps to get to him."**

The blond haired man just shrugged. It would be easy enough.

**"It's just like that old goat says,"** Hades explained. **"Rule 11: It's all just a game, so let loose and have fun with it!"** Hades made punching motions, trying to loosen the blond warrior up. He failed.

**"Well, I mean a casualty or two along the way is no big deal, right?"** Hades chuckled.

The warrior didn't respond to Hades' antics. The caged door opened once more and the warrior walked out into the sunlight, confident and ready to win the next battle.

**"Sheesh,"** Hades snickered. **"Sure is stiffer than the stiffs back home. But still, suckers like him are hard to come by."**

Hades turned toward the darkness of the chamber to hear loud roars and gnashing of teeth together coupled with clanging of chains. Hades laughed aloud.

**"Today's the day the Keybearer dies," **Hades swore.


	12. What is a Hero?

Chapter 12: What is a Hero?

"Are you insane?!" Alex yelled straight in Phil's face. "Do you have a switch that turns your common sense off and on at will?" The group had transferred back to the lobby.

"Why?" Phil asked. "What's the problem?"

"The problem, Philly, is that you expect us to go out there and duel with BDBS!" Alex exclaimed.

Sora raised an eyebrow, turning to Alex. "BDBS?"

"Blond dude with the big sword!" Alex exclaimed. Sora nodded, showing that he understood.

"Yeah," Goofy nodded in agreement. "I mean I got chills just looking at the guy. The way he was starin' at us. Oooh!" Goofy shivered.

Phil seemed to enjoy the group's fear. "Oh, whatever happened to being so ready for the games, huh? Lost your nerve?"

"Oh, Donald says I lost that a long time ago," Goofy laughed, obviously not understanding the prior insult.

"Can't you get some more of the little creatures for us to fight?" Donald asked, making sure not to say Heartless.

"Nope," Phil shrugged. "Sorry guys, but this is the only other opponent that signed up. And besides, if the match gets too rough, I'll step in and stop it. It's not like the guy is out to kill ya."

Sora wasn't completely sure. The confidence that Sora witnessed just by watching the blond man walk was enough to believe that his level of skill was far beyond this tournament. The blond man probably knew it too. So why sign up for a tournament that was just a preliminary one? Was the blond man on some vengeance streak against the Heartless? Or did he have an even darker motive?

"You have thirty minutes before the match," Phil said, as he walked through the hallway that led to the Coliseum. The team stood silent for a couple of minutes.

"We can just leave," Donald said. "We have no business being here. We looked for the King, we couldn't find him, so let's just go."

"You forgot our friends," Alex reminded him. "Our friends aren't here either."

Donald rolled his eyes. "Yeah, them too." Alex scowled.

"No," Sora declared. "I am not leaving."

"What did you say?" Alex practically saw Donald's blood pressure rising.

"I'm not leaving," Sora repeated. "I'm gonna go out there and fight."

"Why?" Goofy asked. "That guy is gonna clobber us."

Donald folded his arms angrily. "For once, take your ego out of the equation and look at the big picture. The people we're looking for aren't here. So why should we stay?"

"Let's face it guys," Sora said. "Up until now we've been sailing through every fight. Sure they weren't easy, but we still pulled through. But now I have someone who can finally put my skills to the test. Our skills to the test! If we can't defeat one person in combat, then how can we expect to find our friends with all the Heartless around? You remember what Leon said? He said there are more Heartless out there, some more powerful than the ones we're used to fighting. I just want to be prepared. I'm confident that we can beat this guy, but we need to work together! So, what do you say?"

Alex just stared at Sora. There had been numerous moments in the journey so far that Alex would wonder why the Keyblade had chosen Sora. It wasn't that he wanted the job, but he just had a hard time picturing Sora as a serious hero. Alex blamed it on the fact that he has known Sora for two years and has gotten used to his kiddish antics. Alex didn't have a problem with that, but it still made him wonder what the Keyblade saw in Sora. But now Alex was looking at Sora with a form of admiration. He compared it to the way that Phil talked about Hercules. It was at this moment that Alex realized why Sora was the Keyblade master.

Donald was still annoyed with Sora. He still believed that staying on this world was a waste of time that could be spent looking for the King. Yet, Donald admitted that Sora had struck some valid points with their situation. He and Goofy needed to get better prepared. Donald wanted to prove that he had the skills necessary to find the King, but he couldn't know how good he was until someone challenged his abilities.

Goofy, on the other hand, was not looking forward to fighting the mysterious warrior. He didn't like fighting at all. When he was training to become a knight, he noticed some of his fellow pupils had a certain killer instinct that Goofy lacked. Whenever he sparred with someone, he did his best not to hurt them, but he always lost in the process. Goofy knew that he had to fight the Heartless and he knew that the mission was important. He knew that he had three friends that would back him up. But the thought of having to fight a human, not a Heartless or monster, was kind of scary.

Sora was waiting for an answer from his teammates.

"I'm in," Alex said. Sora smiled. He knew Alex would stand by his side.

"Me too," Goofy said, smiling nervously.

Everyone turned to Donald who looked like he was deep in thought. "Yeah, me three."

"All right!" Sora grinned, which caused everyone else in the room to start smiling as well.

"Let's teach this pretty boy who's arena this is!" Alex yelled and the team took out their weapons, checked their item stash, and walked outside, ready to face this final battle.

* * *

The wind had stopped and the sun was still out in full force. Sora started to sweat right as he came outside, but he knew the sun wasn't the main reason for it. He noticed Phil off to the side on a bench.

"Wow," Phil smirked. "Still here are ya?"

"Yep," Alex half-smiled.

"I was gettin' a little worried," Phil explained. "Worried you guys weren't gonna show, but here you are."

"Is the guy ready?" Donald asked.

"I believe he is," Phil pointed to the middle of the arena. "He awaits you."

Alex could see the blond warrior standing there. He had his eyes closed, so Alex guessed he was meditating. The sword was still clutched in his hands and he was holding it straight in front of him so his forehead touched the blunt side of the blade.

"Let's go," Sora said and the team made their way to the center of the arena, fifteen feet away from their opponent.

Sora watched the warrior as he continued to meditate for about a minute more. Donald started tapping his foot on the sand. Suddenly, the warrior opened his eyes and lowered his sword. Alex could see his bright, blue eyes shining through the dust.

"My name is Cloud Strife," the warrior said, "and I am your next opponent."

Sora summoned his Keyblade and he was pretty sure he saw a smirk cross Cloud's face. "Then let's do this."

Cloud smiled and raised his sword. "I'm happy that you're so eager....to lose."

"Ain't gonna happen blondie!" Alex yelled as he charged Cloud.

"Alex, no!" Sora yelled. He wanted to play this defensively.

Cloud's blade seemed to grow even bigger as Alex got closer. Alex swung his blade just as he was about to hit Cloud head on, but the swing never hit. Instead, Alex was hit by the most tremendous force that sent him flying in the air. He back flipped twice before landing on his back. Alex couldn't remember the last time he was hit so hard. The truth was, he hadn't. Not even Dark Alex had been that strong. His lungs seemed to refuse the air that Alex did his best to force back into.

Sora ran over to Alex and gave him a potion to drink. "Jeez, are you okay?"

Alex spat out blood. "What hit me?"

"Well, Cloud did," Sora said with a muffled laugh.

"Thank you Captain Obvious," Alex growled in frustration. "I got that much. How did he hit me?"

"He kicked you," Sora said.

"Damn,"Alex said. "This guy is wicked fast. Be careful."

Alex looked forward to see Cloud making slow, confident steps over toward them. Alex quickly got back up.

"If you don't want that to happen again," Cloud said, "then I suggest you stand aside."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Alex asked, still having trouble breathing.

"It's not you that I want," Cloud said as he looked toward Sora. Sora started breathing hard.

"I want you, Keybearer," Cloud said.

Sora's eyes opened wide as Cloud spoke. He knew about the Keyblade. How could that be?

He didn't have any time to think about it because Cloud suddenly crouched down and blasted forward, his sword in front. Alex and Sora barely dodged to the side as Cloud came zooming past. Sora felt the blade cut his shirt. He didn't have any time to relax because Cloud came by for a second thrust. Sora rolled forward, felling the wind on his legs.

Cloud was about to go for a third time, until he was slammed in the face by a fireball. The warrior kept his balance and growled. He looked to the side to see a duck holding a staff. He'd forgotten about him. Cloud remembered Goofy just in time to bring his sword up to block Goofy's shield punch. He brushed the shield aside and punched Goofy in the gut. Goofy hit the ground and continued to fly back, making a trail in the sand. Goofy was sure he was seeing stars.

Cloud saw Sora run toward him, Keyblade raised. The blond warrior smiled and met the Keyblade's strike in the air with his sword. Sora brought the Keyblade off of Cloud's blade and swung at his side, but it was blocked due to the armor plates on Cloud's right side. This gave Cloud the opportunity to hit Sora with the butt of his sword. Sora rolled on the ground, dust finding its way into his mouth. He remembered Cloud was still after him, got up quickly, and drank a potion.

Cloud walked toward Sora before he was hit by a blizzard spell, courtesy of Donald. Cloud shook off the cold and turned toward Donald. He hated getting interrupted. Cloud leaped into the air, higher than a normal human, and landed right beside Donald.

"You're in the way!" Cloud growled, as he swung his blade at the duck's jugular. To his surprise, the duck managed to leap over the swinging blade and swing his staff at the warrior. Cloud took a step to the side to dodge the staff. Donald, realizing he had missed, turned to Cloud just in time to see him shoot Donald with a fireball of his own. The court wizard spun in the air several times, due to the fire spell hitting him in the side, before he hit the ground.

"Damn you!" Cloud turned to see Alex running at him like he did before. This kid was a glutton for punishment. Cloud waited until Alex was a foot away and kicked out with his right foot. But Alex had learned from his mistake and rolled to the side. Cloud had to change his grip on the sword to block the strike at his unguarded side. Cloud counterattacked with a straight chop that would split the boy in two. Alex gripped his sword with both hands to block the strike. Sparks flew from the two blades as they connected.

Cloud sensed a presence behind him and performed a spin cut with the massive blade. It managed to cancel out a stab from Sora's Keyblade. Cloud struck again, swinging the sword toward Sora's arm, but Sora twisted aside and brought up the Keyblade to parry. The force of Cloud's blow still managed to knock Sora off balance. He rolled backwards and cried out, while bringing the Keyblade up in time to push aside Cloud's stab. Cloud shrugged and kicked Sora in the side, sending him skidding to the wall of the Coliseum.

"Sora!" Alex yelled. He rushed over to the Keybearer, dodging another of Cloud's zooming thrusts, and threw a potion over to Sora.

"C'mon drink!" Alex screamed.

Sora was having a massive headache and had to squint to see the potion. He grunted and reached out with a shaky hand to try and grab it. Sora finally opened his eyes, just in time to see Cloud pick up the potion.

"You won't be needing this," Cloud said and he smashed the bottle in his fingers. So much for Donald's non-breaking charms. Cloud strolled over to Sora, who was well on his way to tears, and picked him up by the neck of his shirt.

"Sorry about this," Cloud mumbled and he punched Sora square in the face, breaking his nose.

Sora flew back to the ground, dust getting up in his bloody nose and making it hurt even more. He was exhausted and out of breath. He was pretty sure his nose was broken, maybe even a rib. Sora could see Alex trying to get to him, but Cloud stood in the way. He saw Alex make an obscene gesture with his middle finger and struck at Cloud. Sora mumbled for Alex to stop, but he knew Alex couldn't hear him.

Sparks flew as the two swords continued to clash. Alex made two quick slashes to the head and neck, which were blocked by Cloud, who counterattacked with a strike that would chop off any man's legs. Alex jumped over the blade as it came under and slashed at Cloud's open head. But Cloud brought his blade up to block with amazing speed. Then, Cloud twisted around and kicked the still airborne Alex right in the solarplexis. Alex was knocked out before he hit the wall behind him. The force of the kick was so much that upon Alex's impact with the wall, it cracked. Alex's body fell to the ground in a heap.

Cloud looked around the Coliseum. The duck and the dog were down for the count. It hadn't been that hard to take them out. He saw Alex laying on his belly, down for the count as well. Cloud had to admit that the kid had some guts going against him like that and giving him the finger. Then he saw the reason why he was here, Sora the Keybearer.

Cloud took a deep breath and walked over to the fallen warrior. He could see Sora doing his best to get up, but was failing miserably. Sora heard the crunching of sand against boots and he knew Cloud was coming to finish him off. Sora kept telling himself to get up, but his body wasn't listening. It was too tired. The dust had made Sora parched for thirst and his breaths were forced. Blood dribbled down into his mouth and he had to spit it out, which was hard because he had no saliva.

Phil had been up in the stands the whole time watching the fight. He had grimaced with every blow that had been brought upon the team. Now the team was out and Cloud looked like he was going to finish the job. Phil knew he had to stop it. This had gone way too far.

"Hey Strife!" Phil yelled from the stands. "You win. You can go now. I'll go get your prize so you can leave."

Cloud heard the satyr, but paid him no mind. He knew the satyr couldn't stop him and the satyr knew it too. Phil started to run to the exit to get down there. He didn't know what he could do to stop Cloud, but he was going to try.

Sora dug his fingers into the ground and tried to crawl away. He knew he wouldn't make it, but what else could he do. The sound of boots got closer and closer. Sora's face was stinging with blood and salty tears, mixing into a concoction that only brought about pain. Suddenly, he heard the boots stop and Sora turned on his back, looking up to see Cloud Strife looming over him, like some angel of death. Cloud changed his grip on the sword so the point of it was facing right down at Sora's chest.

Phil scurried on the sand over to Cloud and was about to say something before he was tripped. Phil fell flat on his face, but got up very quickly. He turned around to see who tripped him and was shocked to see who it was. Sharp teeth, blue skin, and annoying smirk made Phil go red in the face, both with anger and embarrassment.

"Good job Cloud," Hades clapped his palms together as he inched his way over to the victorious warrior. "I knew you could do it."

"Stay out of this Hades," Cloud ordered. Sora looked to see the man who had given him the pass to get in the tournament. Why was he here?

"Well," Hades grinned, "what are you waiting for? End this already!"

Sora couldn't believe what was going on. Did this mean that the blue man put Sora into the tournament just for him to lose and die? What could that mean?

Cloud was still hovering his sword over Sora. His arms didn't shake so Sora knew Cloud was in complete control.

"I don't got all day here," Hades complained. "C'mon man, this is a win-win situation. You get your girl back and my group can get this little runt out of the way."

Sora gasped. Cloud was fighting for a girl? He never would have thought of that. And what did Hades mean by "his group"? Something else was going on here. Hades was working for someone and that person wanted Sora dead.

Cloud still hadn't made any sudden movements with the sword. Sora started to see little twitches in Cloud's eye. He started to blink a lot more. Cloud began to breathe in short bursts. Sora knew this was the end. He was actually going to do it. Sora closed his eyes, hoping that it would be quick and less painful than what he had previously gone through.

The sound of metal clanging on the sand caused Sora to open his eyes. Cloud's sword was on the ground and the warrior was turned toward Hades, who didn't appear happy.

"Do it yourself," Cloud said. "I'm not a murderer. Especially not of kids."

Hades gritted his teeth in anger. "You will do this. How else are you gonna get her back?"

"She wouldn't want to come back knowing what I've done!" Cloud yelled. "I'm done. Our contract is terminated Hades."

Dust began to sting Alex's eyes which helped him regain consciousness. He pushed his aching body off of the ground and looked to see Sora, Cloud, and the blue guy from before. Alex knew it was Hades. He saw Sora lying on the ground, blood dripping down his face. Alex immediately started to run over. On the way, he saw Goofy and Donald were getting up as well. Alex pointed to Sora and they nodded at him. The three sprinted over to Sora.

"Sora here," Goofy slid on the ground, right next to Sora and offered him a potion. Sora took the small bottle with great haste and drank it all in one gulp. He wiped the remains of the liquid from his mouth and stood up.

"I'm okay guys," Sora gave a weak smile.

"Good," Alex said. "You guys okay?"

Donald nodded. "I'm fine."

"Me too," Goofy said. All four of them breathed as deeply as they could and let it out. They smiled at each other.

Phil turned toward the God of the Underworld. "Get out of here Hades! Zeus isn't gonna be too happy when he finds out you've been screwing with the tournaments. He'll teach you the rules of this place."

Hades just started laughing. "Hey Cloud!" Cloud turned reluctantly.

"By the way," Hades said. "There is one other rule I forgot to mention."

"And what might that be you piece of trash?" Cloud asked.

"Accidents happen!" Hades laughed maniacally.

Suddenly, a black paw came into Cloud's view and smacked him across the arena to the other side. The warrior smashed into the wall and fell to the ground unconscious.

"What the hell was that?!" Alex screamed and turned around to where the paw came from.

The paw belonged to the most enormous dog that Alex had ever seen. Its black fur shined in the sunlight. Drool dripped from massive jaws at the heads of the monster.

"Heads?" Alex's voice cracked.

It was true. The dog had three heads all attached to the main body. Three pairs of red eyes stared down at everyone, eager to eat. The heads leaned back and let out in unison a massive roar.

"Time to go!" Alex screamed as he sprinted toward the exit. Everyone else followed him.

The monster didn't want its prey to escape, so it bounded over to the exit and blocked the way. Alex tried to turn and run the other way, but he slipped and fell on the sand. But Alex was too scared to stop. He leaped up quickly and jumped forward, narrowly dodging the monster's shiny teeth from cutting him to ribbons. He could hear the growls escaping the monster's jaws, giving Alex even more incentive to run like hell. He eventually caught up with his friends and even started to run ahead of them.

"He's coming!" Goofy yelled. Sora took a quick look back to see the dog quickly gaining speed. The ground rumbled with every step the monster took, causing Phil to almost trip over his own hooves. The monster was getting so close that Donald could smell the atrocious odor of dog breath. The small hallway leading to the lobby was just ahead and everyone knew it. They gave all of their energy in a final sprint for survival. Sora slowed his pace a little to allow everyone to get in first.

"Come on Sora!" Alex motioned with his hands to hurry up. Sora got the best running start he could and leaped for the hallway, his body parallel to the floor. Sora seemed to be falling in slow motion to Alex. He could see the giant dog extending its paw, trying to grab Sora, and it looked like it was going to reach him. Alex held his breath.

Suddenly, the paw of the monster jerked back as the entire body pushed back, letting Sora land safely. Sora turned on his back to see what stopped it. It was a man. His attire was brown armor, obviously made from Greece, with a blue cape attached to it, flowing as the man ran. He wore sandals and a brown belt with a gold medal in the center. A red headband didn't do much to hold back his curly, orange hair. His entire body reminded Alex of Arnold Schwarzenegger, perfectly muscular all around. The armor was almost falling off, due to the massive muscles of this man.

Phil saw the man and gasped in delight. "Herc!"

Hercules looked back at Phil. "Phil, get them out of here!" He turned back to the monster and punched one head in the nose.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Phil nodded. Everyone followed his lead and ran until the they entered the lobby.

Alex took in several breaths, his hands on his knees. Donald and Goofy were both sprawled on the ground, their chests going up and down continuously. Sora sat on the pedestal he had tried to move earlier and wiped away tears, mostly from all the wind that got in his eyes from running so fast. Phil just sat in the corner, taking much deeper breaths than the others were.

Phil broke the silence by saying, "Was that a close one or what?!"

Donald nodded. "What the heck was that thing anyway?"

Phil's expression turned serious and a smidgen of fear crossed his face. "That was Cerberus, guardian of the Underworld and personal pet to Hades. The guy who had Cloud beat you up so bad."

"Don't remind me, will ya?" Alex moaned. The taste of defeat was still fresh in his mouth.

"Do ya think Hercules can handle that big dog?" Goofy asked.

"Y-yeah," Phil stuttered. "S-sure he can."

Even Goofy was able to see through Phil's stuttering. The satyr was worried about the hero he had worked so hard to train. Cerberus was the guardian of the Underworld for a reason and Phil knew it.

"This is bad isn't it," Alex said.

"Yes," Phil admitted. "This isn't good at all."

Sora saw the worry in Phil's eyes and realized that he couldn't just stand around here doing nothing. He had to go back out there. He had to help Hercules. Sora drank a potion and stood up.

"Where do ya think you're going?" Phil asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"You know where I'm going," Sora said. "I'm going to help Hercules."

Phil's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe this kid still wanted to fight, even after his devastating defeat by Cloud Strife. This kid had some guts, but ones that would probably get him killed.

"I'm going to!" Sora turned to see Alex summoning his sword. "This world is gonna give me at least one victory, whether it likes that or not!" Alex was a very poor loser.

"Me too!" Donald stood up, his staff in hand. "You too wouldn't last a second out there without me." Alex and Sora actually smiled at the insult. If Donald was eager enough to insult them, he was eager enough to get back on the battlefield.

"I'll go too," Goofy stood up with his shield. "You guys could probably last a second out there without me, but-."

"You kidding me?" Alex smiled. "We need the Goofmeister out there, on the double! I need someone to make sure I don't get eaten. I want to see you break the teeth of that dog!" Goofy giggled, secretly happy that he was wanted.

Phil had been listening to the group and he was positive that something had changed about them. They had said that they had fought a bunch of monsters and emerged victorious. And yet, Cloud had beaten them without breaking a sweat. Maybe a defeat was exactly what they needed. A way to show them not to underestimate their opponent ever. Now, they would be more careful and learn from their past mistakes. He could see the fire in their eyes and knew they were not happy at all that they lost to Cloud. Anger would be very helpful in the battle to come. He was still worried that they had to fight Cerberus, but hearing the enthusiasm coming from all four of them, Phil's mind was somewhat put at ease.

"Last chance guys," Phil said. "This isn't gonna be like a match. I can't get in there to stop it. This is for real now!"

"You can decide whether we're hero material or not," Sora said.

Sora, Alex, Donald, and Goofy raised their weapons and began to walk down the hallway to the Coliseum. The fight with Cloud had matured them in a small way. And now, the same warrior that had beaten them senseless, his life was in the balance. The team saw the light ahead and proudly strode toward it. In the last fight, they had asked for a victory and the world had said no. This time, they would not take no for an answer.

* * *

Hercules had been backed against a wall by Cerberus. He had Cloud slung over his shoulder and was in a combat stance. The heads of Cerberus inched closer and closer to the young hero. Each opponent wondering what the other was going to do next. Hercules got ready to take on the dog when suddenly its ears perked up and the heads turned. Hercules saw the people he had saved earilier running back into the arena. What were they doing? He could handle this. Although, he probably wouldn't be able to do it with Cloud on his shoulder. He accepted the help.

Cerberus' attention was altered to the small warriors that would make a good feast. Hercules saw an opportunity and made a break for it. The young hero ran past Cerberus who didn't even notice. The dog was too focused on the food that was before him. As Hercules passed him, Sora heard a faint whisper saying, "Good luck." Sora nodded to the hero as he continued over to the hallway that would lead to the lobby. He also saw that Phil was in the stands, coming to cheer them on. He knew Cloud would be taken care of. He turned his attention back to Cerberus.

The beast had fully turned towards the heroes and towered over them. The amount of adrenaline that flowed through each fighter's veins was incredible. The fact was that this beast wasn't a Heartless. It was a servant to a god. That was quite a huge leap for all of them. The red eyes on each of the heads began to pick out which person to eat first. The team stood there with their weapons ready.

"Kid, I got two words of advice for you!" Phil bellowed. "ATTACK!!"

Cerberus grunted and growled, slamming the ground with its paws, challenging the heroes to do battle with it.

"Let's do this Scrappy-doo!" Alex yelled, leaving the other fighters puzzled, but shrugged it off as pure gibberish. The heroes charged, screaming at the top of their lungs like crazy people. Cerberus barked and charged as well.

Donald was aware that they had three targets to worry about and he had a spell just for the occasion. The duck raised his staff to the air and cried, "Thunder!"

Bolts of lighting came down from the sky and struck Cerberus in all three faces. The beast howled in pain as the bolts burned the flesh on their faces and shocked them. The other fighters took this opportunity to attack from the ground. Goofy sprinted over to the legs of Cerberus and bashed them with his shield as hard as he could. Cerberus had a hard time keeping its balance and started to lean over. Donald sealed the deal with another thunder spell that sent Cerberus falling to the ground.

Sora and Alex engaged the heads by jumping up and slashing them with their blades. Alex slashed the cheek of one head, drawing blood, and plunged his sword into the chin. Blood burst from the mouth of the head and Alex pulled the blade back out to dodge the sharp jaws of the center head. Sora slashed at the head on the other side, rolling to escape the lunge of its jaws. He saw the open wound that Alex had inflicted upon the other head and shot it with fire spells. Cerberus barked in pain and leaped forward, opening its jaws to eat the spell caster.

Goofy got there in the nick of time to punch the center head right in the snout. Cerberus responded by bashing Goofy to the side with its head. Cerberus turned its attention to Goofy, who had fallen to the ground and leaped upon him. Goofy screamed as the massive dog loomed over him and opened its mouth, planning to devour him. Donald ran over and shot the open mouth with a blizzard spell, freezing it from the inside. The center head tried to bite down to break the ice, but only inflicted more pain on itself.

This only enraged Cerberus even more, so it lashed out at the heroes with its two side heads. Sora saw the jaws of one coming for him quickly, so he swung with the Keyblade. The Keyblade parried the sharp teeth of the monster and Sora leaped back and shot it with another fire spell. Alex and Goofy teamed up to take on the other one. Alex dodged its jaws easily, but was surprised to be hit by the backside of its paw. Alex rolled on the ground, stopped, and fired fireballs from his position. It distracted the head long enough for Goofy to jump and hit it with the shield. He also cut the head with the edge of his shield. Donald barraged the heads with a combination of fire, ice, and thunder. The biggest damage was dealt when he shot the heads with blizzard spells, melted the ice with fire, and finished it off with an extra powerful thunder spell hitting all doused heads of Cerberus. The cry of Cerberus made each of the heroes cover their ears. The center head finally chewed the ice in its mouth off and grunted.

"I think we're wearing him down," Alex said.

"He can't take much more surely," Goofy said, shaking from head to foot.

"We got him guys," Sora smiled. "Let's go finish him off!"

Suddenly, massive fireballs, the size of which Donald Duck could only dream of conjuring, shot out of Cerberus' mouths.

"OH CRAP!!" Alex screamed as he and Donald were hit dead on and launched backwards across the Coliseum, into the stands. Cerberus howled in victory as he pounced on the two remaining opponents.

Sora rolled to the side, dodging getting crushed by Cerberus and slashed at its feet. Cerberus counterattacked by kicking its foot outward, nailing Sora in the chest, sending him sprawling on the ground. Only Goofy was left and he started to run away. Cerberus stopped this by ramming him in the back with all three heads, sending him up into the stands as well. Cerberus barked, having defeated its foes.

Alex sat up from the cracked floor that was created upon his impact. He saw Donald slowly getting up from his belly, his arms shaking. This dog packed one hell of a punch. Goofy wasn't moving which didn't surprise Alex. After all, he had been hit by all three heads at the same time. He looked on the ground to see Sora, who was also slowly getting up, but Cerberus was heading towards him. Sora dug into his pockets for a potion. He couldn't find any! He nor the others had checked on their potion supply when they had ran into the Coliseum. Sora realized he had been too careless. He should have checked everything before battling a beast. He saw Cerberus coming towards him and he sighed. This was it. He barely had any strength to lift the Keyblade and that always felt weightless in his hands.

Donald saw the dilemma that Sora was in. He was too far away to toss a potion and Alex and Goofy were too weak to attempt it. Donald knew there was only one thing to do. He called upon all the energy in his body and the training he had amassed from Merlin. There was one spell that could help them.

"Heal!" Donald quacked out. Green light flowed from Donald's staff to each of his teammates. The light disintegrated into their body, healing their wounds and giving their energy back. Alex flexed his arms and back with no pain and smiled. He looked over to Donald to ask how he had done it, but saw Sora alone against Cerberus, realizing that it wasn't the time for small talk. He, along with Donald and Goofy, jumped back down into the arena and began to fire spells and throw a shield at the big dog. Donald searched in his pockets and found what he was looking for, a bottle of ether. He drank the whole bottle and felt the entirety of his magical energy return to him.

Cerberus roared at Sora who responded by leaping forward and slicing a part of Cerberus' nose off. The beast lashed out at the young boy in anger, but Sora rolled to the side, hitting the side of the wounded head with blizzard spells. Cerberus was about to attack Sora again when a thunder spell nailed him in the backside. Cerberus turned angrily to see the other warriors coming back for more. The dog began to shoot more massive fireballs out of its mouths, swinging its paws at Sora who ducked under a sweeping paw.

Goofy held the shield in his hands with as much strength as he could muster as the fireball hit him dead on, but he was merely pushed back. The knight responded by throwing his shield like a discus at Cerberus, hitting the center head in eye. Cerberus pounced forward causing Alex and Donald jump as far away as they could. Goofy almost lost his balance as Cerberus impacted with the ground. Alex growled in frustration and stabbed clean through one of Cerberus' legs. The dog roared and bit at Alex who pulled his sword out of the leg, ducking a kick from Cerberus.

Cerberus was driving through the blood and pain on anger alone, but on some level the dog knew it wouldn't hold out much longer. It had to finish the little pests right now. Cerberus stopped chasing the heroes and took a deep breath. Sora breathed hard, wondering what the dog was going to do next. Maybe they had beaten it? Or it was taking a short break? Either way, Sora saw this as an opportunity to finish off Cerberus and he ran forward with the bloody Keyblade in his hands. Donald, Alex, and Goofy saw Sora running toward Cerberus as well and knew the battle was reaching its end.

Cerberus saw the little men coming towards him breathed in deeply. Sora saw Cerberus doing this and at the last moment stopped, worried about what the dog was trying to do. Alex didn't stop, but was aware that Cerberus was planning something. Suddenly, all three heads rose in the air and dark fire blasted from their mouths, diminishing into the sand itself. Donald stopped and looked at the ground. A pool of blackness appeared under his feet and a pillar of that darkness shot upwards, taking Donald by surprise. Donald flew back, only to land on another pool of darkness that launched him even further in the air. Cerberus saw this and shot Donald with a big fire ball. The wizard skidded in the sand, knocked out once more.

Alex saw a pool appearing under his feet and started running away from the darkness. He leaped to the side, dodging another pillar of darkness jutting out of the ground. He ran the other way just in time to see Cerberus launch another fireball at him. Alex dived to the sand, narrowly escaping the flames, but had to roll quickly to escape another dark pillar. Now, he had to deal with two things at once. He shot some fire spells of his own at Cerberus in retaliation, but it didn't annoy the dog in the slightest.

Sora and Goofy, while dodging dark pillars, continued to attack the source, Cerberus. The beast bit at the two warriors, allowing Goofy to slam the heads with the shield and Sora to hack away at the flesh of the dog. Cerberus rose its front feet and body upward into the air and slammed the ground. Dust swirled in the air as Sora swung his Keyblade trying to clear the air. The dust cleared as Cerberus blasted more black fire, this time at Sora. The Keybearer cried out as the fire engulfed him, creating more pain than Sora had ever felt in his life. He fell to the ground, his body red with burns and the scent of charred flesh filled Sora's nostrils.

"Sora!" Goofy yelled in concern. He tried to run over and help the boy, but Cerberus slammed his paw on the ground, inches away from where Goofy was standing. The knight stumbled on the ground, thrusting up his shield as Cerberus' fangs descended upon him. The shield blocked most of the teeth, but a few of them found their way into Goofy's legs. Goofy howled in pain as the fangs tore at his flesh.

"Goofy! No!" Alex screamed with hatred at Cerberus. "I'll kill you!" Alex rushed at Cerberus screaming with bloodthirsty vengeance. Cerberus just grunted and blasted Alex with a fireball. Alex rolled to the side, only to be met with Cerberus' paw. Alex felt air escape his lungs entirely as his vision became clouded by the dust. The brightness of the sun disappeared and Alex looked up to see a giant paw swinging down at him. The paw slammed into Alex's chest, breaking a few ribs. Alex tried to scream, but he had no air left in his lungs. He only managed a slight moan of agony.

He turned his head to the side to see Sora's charred body laying on the sand. Goofy holding his bloody legs, tears flowing down his face. Donald was knocked out, unable to help them with his healing spell. Alex tried to reach for a potion, but he was in too much pain to do anything. Before long, tears streamed down his face as well. He had failed again. The memory of his most recent dream came back to him. His family being massacred before his own eyes and the harsh truth that he had run away at the sight of it when he could have helped them.

Suddenly, he saw the last thing he wanted to see. Shadow Heartless began to appear on the Coliseum floor. Alex looked back at Sora and realized that the Heartless' time had finally come to get rid of the Keybearer. Sora saw it too. Gritting his teeth in pain, he picked up the Keyblade with his burnt hand. The Heartless began to scatter towards him and the others. Donald had woken up and saw them through tunnel vision. He grabbed his staff with shaking hands and growled, ready to fight one last battle. Goofy was still grasping his legs when he saw the Heartless. He began to sob more, but put his shield in front of his body, ready to do the best he could to fight off the Heartless force.

Alex screamed and swung his sword, killing the Shadows on the ground. Then, he swung it in the air to get the ones that were trying to jump on him. Donald didn't have any magical energy left, so he resorted to whacking Shadows with his mages' staff. Goofy punched weakly, still killing the Shadows and closing his eyes, ready for the end. Sora was doing what Alex was doing, only the Heartless were a little more aggressive with him. Sora felt the ground rumble and saw Cerberus walking over to Sora, slowly with complete confidence that he had earned his prey. Sora killed one last Shadow and pushed his arms outward, offering himself to the massive beast. Cerberus' drool made Sora wet as the heads lowered down to get their meal.

It started as a flicker of energy. Sora didn't know what it was, but he felt something. Then, it started to grow. Sora tried gritting his teeth, but had to shout out. Energy exploded from within, showering Sora from the inside. His charred flesh was gone and his skin was back. His face didn't hurt anymore. Sora looked at his arms and was pretty sure that his muscles had developed. His legs felt stronger as he stretched them out. The Keyblade, once again, felt weightless in his hands.

This must be what Leon was talking about, Sora thought. But even with his new found power, Sora couldn't get out of the way as Cerberus pounced on the Keybearer, teeth shining as they gnashed together.

Goofy got a running start, leaped straight in the air, and rammed Cerberus with such strength that the dog almost fell over. All three heads turned to see what had hit it. They saw Goofy and charged toward the knight. Goofy just grasped his shield and leaped into the air once more. This time, Goofy spun around in the air several times like a tornado, shield outstretched, hitting each of Cerberus' heads several times. Cerberus backed off a little, surprised at the force being shown.

Cerberus kept backing away until it was shocked from behind again. It turned to see Donald twirling his staff in the air like an expert. The dog roared at the wizard and leaped toward him. Suddenly, Donald jumped in the air so Cerberus' belly was right above him. Donald quacked and let forth a fireball, equally on par with Cerberus'. The fire spell blasted Cerberus, sending the beast sprawling to the ground with a crash.

Cerberus was getting up before it felt someone on its heads. Alex had jumped onto Cerberus' back and made his way to the heads. He stabbed the right head, causing great anguish to the dog. He stabbed the left head. Blood squirted from the open wound. Finally, Alex leaped high in the air, flipped once, and plunged his blade into the center head. Cerberus tried to roar, but it started to choke on its own blood.

Alex leaped off the head and Cerberus turned, trying to get away. It saw Sora standing in the middle of the Coliseum, Keyblade in his right hand. Sora looked at Cerberus with an evil grin.

"Eat this!" Sora screamed at the dog, as lightning blasted out from the end of the Keyblade. The bolts hit every head of Cerberus at the same time. Cerberus howled and fell to the ground, dead.

Alex grunted and smiled. They had done it. They had defeated the guardian to the Underworld and gotten stronger, gaining new spells and abilities in the process. Alex looked to his other teammates and they could do nothing but smile. He looked to the sky and whispered, "Thanks world. You answered correct this time."

* * *

Upon defeating the three-headed dog, Phil had insisted that he give the group some kind of award for all the trouble they went through and everyone accepted.

All four of them were lined up in the lobby. Phil was standing on the stone pedestal in front of them and Hercules was off to his side, folding his arms and smiling at the group. Sora guessed they made quite the impression on Hercules. Phil had a document held in front of him that he was reading.

"Thus," Phil began. "I do hereby dub thee junior heroes, and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to participate in the games. Further-."

"Hey," Donald interrupted. "Whaddya mean JUNIOR HEROES?!"

Phil looked down at the angry duck and grinned in a smug way. "You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true hero."

Goofy thought for a second and upon not knowing the answer asked, "So, what does it take?"

"Well," Hercules started, surprising the group, "that's just something you'll have to find out for yourselves. Just the way that I did."

Sora smiled as Phil handed him the certificate. "No prob. We'll start by proving ourselves in the games." Alex nodded in agreement. Donald just shook his head, but this time in a 'when will he learn' way.

Phil shook his head. "There ain't gonna be any games for awhile. Gotta clean up the mess from those last battles first."

Sora understood. "Okay, we'll be back." Sora gave a final wave as Donald and Goofy opened the doors that would eventually lead them to the Gummi Ship.

Phil stroked his beard as the group left and chuckled. "I still can't believe those squirts actually beat Cerberus."

Hercules laughed to himself and looked at Phil. "Just between us, I had already worn Cerberus down by the time the little guys jumped in."

Phil smiled at the fact that even though Hercules was a famous hero on the outside, he'll still be a little kid on the inside.

"My lips are sealed." Phil said.

* * *

They started to walk to the doors that would lead to the Gummi Ship, but stopped when they saw who was in front of it. Cloud Strife was sitting on the stone steps, arms on his knees and eyes closed. Sora was hesitant to talk to the man who had just recently tried to kill him, so Alex went forward instead.

"Hey man....um...are you all right?" Alex asked, hoping the warrior wouldn't lash out in anger.

Cloud just opened his eyes and looked up at Alex. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Sora stepped up, now that he knew Cloud wasn't going to attack. "So, why did you go along with him anyway?" He referred to Hades.

Cloud looked at Sora, sighed, and brought his arms back in their previous position. "I'm looking for someone. Hades promised to help." Alex, Donald, and Goofy hadn't heard this yet so it came as a shock.

"I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired," Cloud began to peer at the blue sky. "I fell into darkness and I couldn't find the light."

Sora couldn't help but compare himself with the guy. "You'll find it."

"What makes you so sure?" Cloud asked.

"You have to be. We have to be. Cause' I'm searching too."

"For your light?" Cloud assumed. Sora nodded.

Cloud stood up and walked past Sora, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't lose sight of it." Then he walked back to the entrance of the Coliseum, cape flapping in the wind.

Alex turned and shouted back, "Hey! How about a rematch sometime? Fair and square, your sword against ours...er..our two?"

Cloud chuckled, recognizing the voice from the kid who wouldn't stop fighting. "I think I'll pass." He said, whipping a lock of hair out of his eyes.

Alex couldn't help but smile. He would have that rematch. Alex was a poor loser and he wanted payback. "Maybe next time." He turned back to his friends and they opened the door and headed to the Gummi Ship.

* * *

Night had fallen over the Coliseum and the flames illuminated the area with an orange glow. Hades stood in the center of the square, holding a small figurine of Hercules. He made it flex its powerful muscles and fold its arms, smiling to its invisible audience.

"He's strong," Hades began. "He's kind. He's always there for you and he's handsome to boot. He's perfect. Perfect!"

Hades finally snapped. His entire body grew bright red with anger. "Perfectly infuriating!! He drives me CRAZY!!" Hades let loose his anger in a pillar of fire that parted the clouds in the sky with its heat.

The angry god took a few short breaths, calming himself down and returning to his blue color. "Wait a second, what are you worried about? All the pieces are in place, so relax. Okay here's what you do. Let Hercules train the kid. And in the games, I'll take care of them both." He made a fist signifying his hate for Hercules and annoyance for Sora.

Hades sensed someone behind him and without turning said, "Who invited you to the party? Just stay out of this. This is MY show."

"As you wish," Maleficent said, smiling faintly and fiddling with her staff. "Fight to your heart's content."

As she disappeared, Hades turned to her and frowned, wondering just what she was insinuating.

"Oh and don't forget about mister Strife," Hades grinned. "I got big plans for you. I think a blast from the past is just what you need. Don't you?"

A mysterious voice laughed from the Underworld. **"Yes, I believe he does."**


	13. Welcome to the Jungle

Chapter 13: Welcome to the Jungle

Jiminy Cricket wrote hastily in his journal as Alex explained what had happened to them during their time at the Coliseum. Jiminy couldn't help but cringe every time he wrote about someone getting injured. The cricket was glad that he hadn't been there to witness the violence. In the end though, everyone came back okay and, according to Alex, stronger than ever. Jiminy was conducting the interview in Alex's room.

"Gee," Jiminy said. "Was it scary? I mean, going up against that beast must have taken a lot of courage."

Alex shrugged. "Yeah well, let's just say that at that point we needed a win. Actually, Sora was the one who wanted it more than anybody. I guess you could call his courage inspiring."

"Did it inspire you?" Jiminy asked.

Alex looked at the cricket and said, "Yeah."

Jiminy smiled. "That's a good thing to hear. He is the Keybearer after all. It is a tremendous responsibility, but the way you say it, it seems the Keyblade couldn't have picked someone better for the job than Sora."

Alex let out a quick laugh and gave a half-smile. "Well, I don't know if I'd go that far."

Jiminy did his best to hide a quick giggle. "Do I detect a hint of jealousy in your voice Alex?"

Alex stared at the cricket with a shocked look. "You kidding me. Do I look like I want monsters thirsting for a certain blood pumping organ that just so happens to keep me alive? Puh-lease!"

"Point taken," Jiminy admitted. He watched as Alex arose from the bed he had been sitting on and making his way to the cockpit. Jiminy wondered why Alex seemed so distant all the time, just in his own little world. It made Jiminy question what the boy could be thinking about.

However, the truth would have shocked Jiminy and everyone else on board the Gummi Ship. As Alex climbed the ladder to the cockpit, he gave some thought to his latest dream. Why had he run away? Why did he abandon his family when they needed him the most? Was he a coward? Alex wanted to brush that thought aside, considering he had been fighting creatures of darkness for almost a week. Then again, Alex had friends by his side. Friends who knew how to fight the Heartless. His family didn't know about the Heartless, but neither did he at the time. He had proven he could take Dark Alex only minutes later, battling him on top of a semi. Was he just a coward when the stakes were high? Alex didn't want to ponder these things any longer, fearing that he could spiral himself into some sort of depression, which was the last thing he needed right now.

Alex strode into the cockpit, stretching out his arms and yawning loudly, announcing his presence. It earned him a quick look from Donald at the wheel and Sora who had been sitting on the third chair gazing up at the stars.

"Did Jiminy get everything he needed?" Sora asked, as he straightened himself in the chair from the slouching position he was previously in.

"Yep," Alex nodded. "Every little detail I could think of. I tried to convince Jiminy that we whooped Cloud's butt, but he didn't go for it."

"Ah well," Sora sighed. "Better to admit our defeat and learn from it than pretend it never happened."

"Wise talk for someone who claimed to have beaten Riku at swords," Alex smirked at Sora.

"Can't I at least get points for tryin'? Sora grinned, knowing that Alex would never give him the satisfaction.

"No," Alex said. "You get points for being a terrible liar. How's that?"

"Ha ha!" Sora laughed sarcastically. "Very funny."

"I thought it was," Alex said, cracking his knuckles.

Sora laughed a little more, but his expression soon turned blank. "I do wish Riku was here."

Alex stopped laughing and gradually got serious. "Me too man. Me too."

"Kairi would probably call us idiots for going up against a three headed dog," Sora smiled. The memory of Kairi killed any bad emotions he was feeling.

"There is no probably. She would most definitely call us idiots!" Alex, knowing for sure that he was right, nodded at Sora, causing more laughter to break out between the two friends.

Donald and Goofy listened as the two friends began to reminisce about old times on Destiny Islands. The way the boys described their friendship with their lost friends reminded Donald and Goofy of their friendship with King Mickey. The similarities were unmistakable, causing Goofy to start tearing up. Donald looked over at Goofy, realizing he knew how his friend felt. The duck missed his friend badly and wanted to find him as soon as possible.

Suddenly, an immediate beeping sound rang throughout the cockpit. Goofy looked and saw that it was coming from the radar system, which only meant one thing.

"Ships incoming!" Goofy yelled.

"What?!" Alex and Sora exclaimed in unison.

"Heartless ships are acomin'!" Goofy pointed to the radar, but Alex had a hard time figuring out what he was pointing out at first due to Goofy's hands were shaking so much.

"Oh crap," Alex said.

"Everyone get in your seats!" Donald ordered and no one argued. Alex strapped himself in the third seat and Sora, without anywhere to sit, grasped Alex's chair tightly.

"This is gonna get a little bumpy!" Donald said. Alex thought, even though that statement was cliche', Donald was probably right.

"Goofy, how long until we see them?" Donald asked.

Goofy looked at the radar and replied, "Three minutes!"

Donald looked at Goofy, nodded to him, and said, "Then you know what to do!" Goofy nodded in response and began pressing buttons on his dashboard. Alex heard a sound indicating that Goofy turned something on.

"Deflector shields are up and going!" Goofy said.

"How's the engine looking?" Donald asked.

Goofy pushed a button and computer screen rose up from the dashboard. The screen showed a blueprint of the Gummi Ship. The monotone computer voice said, "Power of Fire-G model engine is at 85%. Power of Thunder-G laser is at max capacity. Protect-G deflector shields are at full power."

"Good," Donald mumbled.

"Why's the engine at 85%?" Alex asked.

Donald turned around in his chair. "Just count your lucky stars that it isn't any lower. If the Heartless had engaged us every time we went to a world, our power wouldn't be as strong."

"Sounds like you need an upgrade," Sora suggested.

"No kidding. But that was before I knew how powerful the Heartless ships were," Donald said and turned around, ready to engage the enemy vessels. Alex couldn't help but hum the Star Wars theme in his head.

"Donald look!" Goofy pointed out in the distance to the approaching ships.

The Heartless ships were deformed versions of the Gummi Ship. They didn't have wings like the Gummi Ship did, but Alex could see cannons at the bottom of their multicolored bodies. Orange, red, green, and yellow were all splashed together at different parts of the ship. Some of the ships were of the same design as the Gummi Ship, to an extent. Others had thin bodies, some of which were in a straight line and some that jutted out in different directions.

"They're here!" Goofy yelped.

Donald suddenly thrust the ship forward, surprising the Heartless ships, and began shooting bright blue lasers from the Gummi Ship's main two cannons. The duck's fingers were pushing buttons on the side of the steering mechanism to fire the lasers. Alex compared it to many arcade games that he played at the mall. Although simplistic in nature, Alex guessed that he would rather have an easy firing method than a complicated one.

"Two on your left!" Goofy pointed out. Donald turned the ship to the right, dodging lasers from the Heartless. As soon as the ships were in view, Donald fired again. The Heartless ships exploded and Sora hollered in victory.

"Hold it dude," Alex said. "We're not out of the woods yet!"

Donald saw another ship on his right and one on his left. He made a quick decision and stopped the ship. The Heartless ships, still flying forward, shot out their lasers, causing both of them to explode.

"Nice on Donald!" Goofy shook his fist in the air.

Another Heartless ship charged and Donald let loose with the lasers, but this ship twisted to the right and dodged them. Donald quacked in surprise, but laughed when the enemy ship fired its laser and it bounced off the Gummi Ship.

"Deflector shields do come in handy," Donald admitted.

Donald turned his attention to the ship in time to see it fire, not a laser, but a missile. The Gummi Ship's deflector shields could stand against small-arms fire from other ships, but missiles were a different story. Donald thrust the ship upward, narrowly dodging the missile. Donald sighed in relief only to realize that the missile was still coming after them.

"Stupid lock-on missiles!" Donald grumbled. He steered the ship in every direction, but the missile kept coming. Sora held on to Alex's seat as best he could, even though his legs were extended in the air. Donald put more speed into the ship, causing the missile to fall behind. Soon enough, the missile exploded.

"Yeah," Alex screamed.

Donald saw the Heartless ship coming back for more and said, "Goofy finish him!"

"Gotcha!" Goofy opened a compartment, revealing his very own shooting joysticks. Alex saw a small turret on the side of the ship begin to move. Goofy pressed the buttons and shot at the ship. The Heartless ship did a nosedive, but Goofy followed it with a constant stream of shots. Donald maneuvered the ship to get closer to the enemy and almost ran into it. Goofy pressed another button on the joysticks to change weapons. At point blank range, Goofy blasted the enemy ship with a missile of his own.

"Burn in hell suckahs!" Alex yelled. Sora let go of Alex's chair, having to pry his fingers away from the small dents in the chair.

"Good job Goofy!" Donald exclaimed, giving his friend a thumbs-up.

"Gawrsh thanks," Goofy replied.

* * *

Sora stood in the middle of the dark blue floor, the Keyblade in his hands, eyeing his opponent carefully. The opponent was wearing red armor that covered his entire body. The face mask was planted shut, with a small visor for eyesight, but Sora couldn't see the eyes of his opponent. The warrior was wielding a straight sword, similar to the ones Sora had trained with on Destiny Islands, only the sword his opponent carried was metal. Sora crouched down, clutching the Keyblade in a combat stance. The opponent made no indication that he was threatened.

_Here goes nothing_, Sora thought.

Sora charged the silent warrior, slicing vertically with the Keyblade, but the opponent sidestepped. Sora quickly pivoted and thrust the Keyblade, only to be met with a crash of metal as the warrior's sword intercepted the Keyblade. Sora quickly ducked to avoid decapitation and rolled to the left, dodging the warrior's sword slice. Sora swung his Keyblade upward, which the silent warrior blocked with his blade, but Sora twisted his body around and, switching the Keyblade to his left hand, swung again. To his surprise, the Keyblade was blocked once more by his opponent. Sora performed a short jump in the air, while twisting his body slightly to the right, and elbowed the warrior right in the face mask.

The silent warrior stumbled back a little, giving Sora enough time to fire his new found thunder spell at him. The bolts of lightning blasted the warrior back even further. Sora ran forward and swung the Keyblade, hoping to catch his opponent off guard. Once again Sora was disappointed as the warrior met the Keyblade in a high block. The warrior thrust his foot out in a front kick, but Sora pulled his body to the side, the kick missing the boy by a few inches. Because of the armor, the warrior's leg that he kicked came down to the ground, causing the warrior to be in a crouch. Sora smiled and blasted the silent warrior with another thunder spell.

Sora sprinted forward and leaped into the air, higher than he ever could before, but due to his power up, it was now possible. Sora swung the Keyblade downward with all his strength. The silent warrior saw Sora descending in the air and readied his blade. As Sora reached the warrior, the Keyblade was smacked aside out of Sora's hands. The warrior had performed a swing of his own that he put a lot of power into. In the end, his sword won the battle and Sora received a kick in the chest for it. The Keybearer slid on his back, grunting all the way until he stopped.

Sora looked up to see the warrior walking slowly toward him, reminding Sora of Cloud Strife. Sora winced and got back up. He noticed the Keyblade a few feet away from him and he thrust out his hand. The Keyblade came flying back to its owner and Sora twirled it a few times in the air. The silent warrior was still coming towards him, slowly but surely.

_Like Cloud_, Sora thought. _Wait, that's it!_

Sora remembered Leon telling Sora that when he got powered up he would be able to perform new abilities. In his battle with Cloud, the blond warrior had used a powerful thrusting ability that nearly killed both Sora and Alex. It was a thrust that shot the person forward, cutting anything in their path.

_Let's see if Leon was right,_ Sora thought.

Sora held his Keyblade to his right side, channeling the energy in his body. He held the Keyblade with great intensity. He focused hard on what he was going to do. Sora felt power growing within him and it felt good. Finally, as his opponent was nearly reached him, Sora let loose that energy. The Keybearer was thrust forward, the Keyblade extended, and Sora's opponent was sliced in half. As Sora stopped himself from falling over, he couldn't help but grin stupidly. He felt like a god.

* * *

"VR training simulation: complete. Staus: winner," the computer voice stated as Goofy entered the commands for extraction.

The top of the VR pod opened up slowly, steam exiting the small space. Goofy peered through the steam to see Sora climb out of the pod, stumbling around. Goofy knew that he must be a little disoriented after his first time experiencing VR. Sora eventually stopped stumbling and saw Goofy walking towards him. Sora folded his arms and smiled.

"So, what'd you think? Pretty good, huh?" Sora said, not really caring if Goofy said otherwise.

"It sure was," Goofy admitted. "VR sure does come in handy. I was just in there moments ago perfecting a move I pulled on Cerberus. The one where I can spin around and hit people with my shield. I call it the Tornado ability."

Sora couldn't help but giggle. "You actually named it."

Goofy frowned, wondering if he did something stupid again. "Why? Is there something wrong with that?"

Sora, realizing he might have hurt Goofy's feelings, replied, "No no! I was just kinda surprised that's all. Y'know what? I'll name mine. What should I call it?"

Goofy put his hand against his head, thinking. "Gawrsh, I dunno. Maybe the Amazing Cutter." Sora gave Goofy a look that said the name wasn't going to work.

"Or, how about the Spectacular Splitter?" Goofy tried another time, but Sora still wasn't going for it.

"How about Ball Buster?" Sora groaned and turned around to see Alex leaning against the wall of the VR room, laughing.

"I don't hit people down there ya dork," Sora said.

"Doesn't mean ya haven't tried," Alex said, giggling like a maniac.

"Shut up! I don't see you trying out any cool abilities," Sora said, happy that he had a comeback.

Alex shrugged. "Maybe that's because I don't need them. All I need is more power in my body to get me through a fight."

Sora didn't quite agree, but he didn't feel like arguing. "I'll call it the Sonic Blade. How's that? Good enough for ya mister buster of balls?"

Alex rose up his hands in mock defense. "Calm down buddy. It's a cool name. Go with it."

Alex, Sora, and Goofy exited the VR room and climbed up to the cockpit where an impatient Donald Duck awaited.

"Good timing guys," Donald said, not hinting that he had been waiting for awhile. "We're almost at the next world."

Everyone got close to the window to see who could spot it first. Sora stared in space, hoping that this would be where he found Riku and Kairi. Sora looked at Alex, knowing that it was what Alex wanted as well. Donald and Goofy were staring at space for the same reason, but not the same person. They wanted to find King Mickey and go back home where everything would be normal again.

"Look up ahead," Alex pressed his finger against the glass at the world that appeared before them.

It wasn't as big as the showy Coliseum had been, but it was definitely bigger than Wonderland. The world was made up entirely of forest. Trees extended their branches with green leaves upon them. Alex also noticed a big waterfall at the center, with smaller ones at its side. Alex rooted around in his memory for any indication as to where they were going, but couldn't find any. He was excited, nonetheless.

Donald, on the other hand, was not excited. He knew for sure that the King would never allow himself to be in places like that. He imagined all kinds of creepy crawlies making their homes among the trees and the thought made Donald disgusted. He began to shift the steering wheel away from the uncharted world.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sora asked loudly. "I thought we were landing."

Donald shook his head. "The King would never allow himself to step foot in a backwater place like that."

Sora couldn't believe his ears. "You don't know that for sure! Just land!"

"NO!" Donald quacked, getting very frustrated with Sora.

"Just land you dumb duck!" Alex demanded. "Riku and Kairi could be down there."

Donald scoffed at that notion. "Forget it! We are on an important mission."

"WE?! There is no WE! There's just Y-O-U!" Alex yelled. "Come to think of it, there never was a WE!" Sora nodded in agreement.

Donald growled and turned to face the two boys. "If I remember correctly, the last world we stopped at didn't have either of our friends on it. But we knew that from the very beginning. You preach about wanting to find your friends so badly and yet you wasted valuable time that could have been spent looking for them."

"And if I remember correctly," Sora countered, "you stayed with us. You wanted to leave and yet you gave in. You preach about wanting to find YOUR friend, but you still came with us!"

Donald wanted to wrap his hands around the selfish brat's throat. "I stayed because the King told me too. But obviously that was a big mistake on my part because the King told me to stand by the Keybearer. You're no Keybearer! You are just a poor little boy that's lost in space and just so happens to have a sword shaped like a key. The Keybearer is supposed to be someone that inspires courage and goodness in people. All you've inspired in me is a tremendous headache. No wonder you can't find your friends. They probably don't even want to be near you!"

It was at that moment that Alex knew Donald had taken it too far. Goofy had been watching the argument get bigger and bigger. He hadn't wanted to interfere, but now he wished he had. Even Donald realized that he had said something wrong, but it was too late to reverse the damage that had been done or stop what was going to happen.

Sora punched Donald Duck right in the face.

Goofy was pretty sure his own jaw hit the floor and Alex's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. Sora was in complete shock. He had never hit someone in anger before. Sora stared at his fist that was outstretched and realized he had made an awful mistake. Donald was on the floor, rubbing his face and trying to understand what just happened.

Sora sat in Donald's chair and took control of the wheel. "We're landing." Sora looked on the dashboard, saw a random button, and pressed it.

Donald bolted up in fear. "Don't touch that! NOOOO!"

The Gummi Ship began to shake and everyone fell on the ground. Red lights and the sound of an alarm flooded the cockpit. Sora, fearing he might have pressed a self-destruct switch, thrust the steering mechanism forward, hoping that if the ship exploded, he would land on the world. Alex was trying to get to Sora, but the rocking ship tripped him up and he fell on his face. Suddenly, the Gummi Ship lost whatever proportional system that was holding it up, and the ship began to fall. Sora steered the ship so that it would fall on the world. The Keybearer gritted his teeth as the ship coasted downward at alarming speeds.

The cockpit opened and all of its inhabitants fell. out. Alex screamed as first he saw clouds, then trees, then his flailing arms. The air whipped his face and Alex was afraid of splattering on the ground. He hoped at least that a tree would catch him or slow his fall. As he descended, he caught quick glimpses of something beneath him that was colored brown. Alex realized that it was wood, meaning his fall would be stopped, but not in the way that he wanted it.

"SON OF A B-!" Alex crashed into the woodwork, getting multiple splinters in the process. He eyes saw quick shots of boxes before the body came in contact with the ground. The air rushed out of Alex's lungs, a feeling that was becoming to familiar to him, and he started to have tunnel vision.

The dust cloud that Alex had created caused him to cough uncontrollably. His body hurt all over, but Alex took solace in the fact that it meant that he was still alive. Alex moaned in pain and lay on his back, not wanting to get up for fear of damaging his body further. He rubbed his throbbing head with his right hand and looked around, becoming aware of his surroundings.

Alex thought he was in a house. It was all wooden. Even the contents of the house were wooden: boxes, barrels, and crates. This led Alex to believe that maybe he was in some sort of warehouse. He looked straight up and could see the light shining through the roof, the part that was broken and looked like his body. Alex felt vines with his hands and saw that all kinds of plant life were growing here, which meaned that this place was quite old.

Alex finally decided to get up and groaned through the entire process. He pushed himself off the ground with achy knees and took a better look around. Apparently, he was on the bottom floor of the house. There was a second floor leading to a balcony, but the staircase to the second floor was destroyed. Broken windows surrounded the walls and through them, Alex could see tree trunks and branches full of leaves. The sky appeared, blue with white clouds. But how could he see all that if he was in a house on the ground?

"Sora?" Alex cried out, weakly. He wanted confirmation that his friend was still with him, or alive for that matter.

When he got no response, Alex cried, "Donald?.................Goofy?" Alex began to grow worried. What happened to them? They must have fallen to different parts of the world.

"Perfect!" Alex waved up his arms in frustration. "Just perfect! Now I gotta go find em'."

Creak!

Alex stopped moving and turned his head from side to side, looking for whatever made the noise. His heart began to pound furiously and his hands began to sweat. Alex took a quiet step forward and turned around quickly.

Something growled from the top floor and it leaped from the top floor to the floor Alex was on. It was a leopard. Not only that, but the biggest and scariest leopard that Alex had ever seen. Its yellow-green eyes locked on Alex and the beast opened its mouth and roared, showing off incredibly sharp teeth. Alex stood incredibly still, not knowing what to do. The leopard jumped forward, teeth gnashing together and claws flaring. On instinct, Alex summoned his sword and put it between the leopard and himself. The leopard swung a paw at the boy, claws clanging against the sword, and Alex jumped a few feet back. But the leopard kept on him and swung its paws once more, this time raking against Alex's chest and sending him crashing into the side wall.

Alex cried out as he crashed against more boxes. He put his fingers to his chest and wasn't surprised to feel blood. Alex saw the leopard circling him slowly, urging him to get back up. Alex began to circle the creature with his sword in front. Drool dribbled down the leopard's lips which made Alex even more scared than he already was. He was so tense, just waiting for the beast to make a move.

Alex got his wish as the leopard leaped forward trying to tackle Alex and finish the job. Alex jumped to the side to dodge and quickly leaped forward and swung his sword. The blade cut the leopard, causing it to roar in pain. Alex would have been happy, but the wound only seemed to make the creature even angrier. Alex made a mad dash for a broken window to try and break out, but the leopard wasn't going to let its prey escape that easily, so it tackled Alex from behind.

Alex's body went into overdrive and he quickly turned himself over and thrust his sword up just as the leopard's jaws came crashing down upon Alex. The flat side of the blade was in the creature's mouth, blocking the teeth from getting any further than Alex wanted it to. The leopard gnashed violently against the blade, which cut the gums of the beast. Alex screamed in fear, anger, and for strength. The leopard began to scratch its sharp claws against Alex's legs. The jeans he wore were no match for the leopard's claws. Alex now screamed in pain as the claws tore into his flesh and in desperation, he brought his leg back and kicked the leopard off.

The leopard shook its head, slightly dazed. Alex bellowed and blasted the creature with a fire spell, the only magic he knew, causing the beast to fall to the ground in a heap. The only sound to be heard throughout the wooden house was Alex, hyperventilating like crazy.

"Jesus Christ!" Alex exclaimed. So much had happened in such a short time. Sora punched Donald, they got ejected from the ship, and Alex's first encounter with any kind of life form turned out to be one that wanted to eat him. Alex's knack for surviving impossible situations never ceased to amaze even himself.

Alex pulled a healing potion from his jacket pocket and took a drink. The deep cuts and splinters he had received went away in a flash. Alex took a deep breath and stared at the leopard. The body wasn't moving, but was it dead? Alex really didn't want to find out, but knew he had too. He took short, baby steps over to the body of the leopard, his sword held in front in case the leopard wasn't dead. As he nearly reached the body, he stretched out his sword and poked the body.

The leopard sprang up on all four legs, roaring triumphantly, and swung its paws at Alex. Alex dodged them by falling on his butt, something that wouldn't have been possible if his reflexes hadn't gotten better. The leopard charged at Alex, who raised his sword in front, ready to engage the leopard once more.

Suddenly, a human figure leaped in front of Alex and, wielding a spear, thrust the shaft into the leopard's mouth, similar to what Alex did. The man gritted his teeth as he pitted his own strength against the leopard's. The man eventually won and pushed the leopard off his wooden spear. The leopard gazed angrily at the man, questioning if it should combat him, but decided against it and retreated through a broken window.

_No fair. That should've been my escape route,_ Alex thought as he got up from the ground.

The man turned and faced Alex who was standing up. Alex stared at him, puzzled about his appearance. The man was extremely tan and very well built, with no trace of fat on his body. His hair was brown and shoulder-length, which hung down in messy dreadlocks. His green eyes were locked on Alex with a curious stare and his face showed little emotion. His entire body was in a crouched stance, making Alex wonder if he wasn't going to attack him. The only piece of clothing that the man had on was a brown loincloth.

The man pointed to the broken window that the leopard escaped from and said, "Sabor, danger." Alex guessed the man was hinting that the leopard's name was Sabor.

Alex was a little put off by the way the man spoke, but he replied, "Uh, thank you."

The man raised an eyebrow and replied," Thank you." He slowly repeated the same words Alex had said. Alex guessed that the man didn't know that much English.

Alex curled his upper lip, not knowing how to make conversation with this man, and said, "Well, what is this place?"

Again, the man repeated, "This place. This place." He moved closer to Alex, which made Alex a little uneasy.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Okaaaay then. Um, where did the others go?" The man didn't reply, which got Alex even more frustrated.

"Look," Alex explained, "I've been separated from my friends. Have..you..seen..them?!"

Alex didn't expect an answer from the language challenged man and that's exactly what he got. The man just cocked his head to one side and grunted.

Thinking the man hadn't heard him, Alex said very slowly, "Fu..ren..zz!"

The man smiled and put his fingers against his chest. "Friends!"

Alex brightened, ecstatic that the man could understand him, and began to talk extremely fast. "Right. My friends. There's three of em'. Sora's the one with a porcupine head, not that I'd expect you to know what a porcupine is, but anyway, the loud one is Dona-!"

Alex stopped, having remembered what had taken place on the Gummi Ship. The little bastard had wanted to skip this world just so he could find his friend, meaning he didn't give a rat's ass about Riku or Kairi. Alex just shook his head. The man looked confused as to why Alex had stopped mid-sentence.

"Y'know what dude," Alex said, "never mind. I'm looking for my friends Sora, Riku, and Kairi."

Once again, the man repeated, "Look for Riku, friends?"

Alex smiled, pleased that they were making some kind of progress, and said, "Yep." He saw something out of the corner of his eye and looked beyond the strange man. He saw something that he couldn't believe.

The strange man was still staring at Alex saying, "Look for Kairi, friends?"

Alex was staring at Kairi, who was standing right where the sun shined down through the roof. She looked beautiful in the radiant glow, reminding Alex of that fateful afternoon on the beach where she had told him not to change.

Alex took a quick glance back at the man to say, "Uh, yeah."

Alex looked back in time to see Kairi raise her chin high, reminding Alex of snobs at school, turn on the heel of her foot, and walk away. Alex shook his head. Maybe that Sabor had taken more blood than Alex realized.

The man continued to stare at Alex and say, "Friends, here."

Alex's attention immediately shifted back to the man. "Really?!"

"Ee ooo oo oo ah," The man grunted.

Alex raised an eyebrow, wondering how this man could be any stranger than he already was. "Huh?"

The man repeated slowly. This time Alex was the one who needed coaching. "Ee ooo oo oo ah. Friends, here."

Alex bit his lip. "Okaaay, not sure I understand, but show me! Take me to Sora, Riku, and Kairi."

The man smiled and thumped his chest with his fingers. "Tarzan. Tarzan go." He pointed to the doorway leading to the outside.

Alex mentally kicked himself. He should have guessed from the very beginning that the man was Tarzan. But that raised several questions. Did that mean Jane was here? Alex knew there would be time for questions later as he smiled at Tarzan and said, "I'm Alex. Tarzan go. Alex go..er..go."

Tarzan led Alex through the wooden doorway, but at the same time opening a new door to all kinds of sounds of birds chirping, waterfalls, and lush greenery the likes of which Alex had never seen. A wooden walkway surrounded the perimeter of the house and Alex was surprised to find that the house was actually situated in the branches of a large tree. Whoever built this must have been really smart. Alex walked further until the wooden guard rail stopped him from going any further. Alex looked down to see an enormous net extending from the underside of the house, probably to stop the falls of clumsy people. A tree branch had been manipulated into holding a small boat by a rope. The boat, Alex guessed, was used to carry supplies from the bottom of the jungle to the tree house.

Alex took this all in and didn't realize that Tarzan was standing right next to him. He jumped a little, but felt foolish for it afterwards. "So what is this pace?"

Tarzan stared at Sora with an intense glance, but softened it up by smiling and saying, "Tarzan, home."

* * *

Donald and Goofy had landed in a clearing amidst a circle of bamboo trees. They were sitting on a rock, taking a rest. Goofy had his head hung down and Donald was laying on his side, propping up his head with his hand. His eyes were closed, which made Goofy suggest that he was enjoying all the silence and noises of the wilderness.

Goofy finally broke the silence by asking, "Gawrsh, where are we?!" Donald gave no response.

Goofy, realizing he was only talking to himself, said, "I sure hop Sora and Alex are okay."

He immediately wished he hadn't said that because Donald Duck arose from his peaceful slumber with an evil look on his face, staring at Goofy. "Who needs them?! We can find the King without them."

Donald leaned over to pick up his mage's staff that was leaning against the rock, but as his fingers almost wrapped around the staff, he felt something that was very furry. Donald quickly pulled his hand out and looked down to face a gorilla. Both of them stared at each other with wide eyes, growing wider by the second, until finally they both screamed in panic, causing Goofy to fall off the rock in surprise.

Suddenly, the sound of rustling and even the sound of slicing metal came echoing from the bamboo trees, causing Donald and Goofy to turn their heads away from the gorilla in fear of what was coming from the forest. The gorilla started to run away as quickly as she could, but she took one last look at Donald before finally escaping the clearing.

Donald looked back to see the gorilla, but was surprised to see it gone. In the gorilla's place was a large red block that shined in the sunlight. It was a Gummi block. What would a gorilla be doing with a Gummi block? That must mean that the King was here. Donald wouldn't have been able to contain his excitement if it wasn't for the unknown being about to emerge from the forest.

The pair gulped in anticipation as a human figure cut his way thought the forest. It was a man. His boots made crunching noises as he exited the dense foliage of the bamboo trees. He was wearing a dark yellow collared shirt and a small part of a red muscle shirt could be seen through his unbuttoned shirt. He sported a thin, black and gray mustache and slicked back hair of the same colors. Donald could see the man definitely had muscles as the man had his sleeves pulled up, which showed of his powerful arms. The man was holding a shotgun, sunlight gleamed off of the cold steel of the barrels. On his belt was a sheath which held his own machete.

The hunter stared at Donald and Goofy, his mouth curling into a frown. Donald and Goofy gulped once more, wondering what could possibly be in store for them.


	14. Two Worlds Meet

Chapter 14: Two Worlds Meet

Alex had followed Tarzan down into the trees. He had almost fallen on many occasions, but Tarzan would save him every time. Eventually, the duo entered a dense clearing where the trees blocked any sunlight from coming through. In the middle of the treetop was a big log that was hollowed out in the middle and other branches along the side would eventually lead to the top of the jungle. Alex didn't know where Tarzan was leading him, but he wanted to get there as quick as possible. The fight with Sabor made Alex uneasy enough, but the fact that the leopard was still alive made Alex constantly turn his head, waiting for something to attack him from the trees.

"Here," Tarzan led Alex to a side of the massive log that allowed entrance to it.

Alex leaned over the edge of the log, not wanting to fall through, and looked down. He saw nothing but blackness. "Uh-uh. No way jungle man. I'm not going down some slide of doom, okay?" Tarzan's response was to push Alex and he fell into the tree trunk. The jungle man followed shortly.

Alex screamed the whole way down. He knew he was sliding on his feet. He felt the moss and other plants rub against his shoes as he slid. His knees were bent because he didn't want to fall over and his arms were outstretched for balance. The darkness soon left as Alex was suddenly thrust into the light and Alex saw that he was sliding on a massive tree branch. The world zipped past him as he picked up speed. Alex's eyes were full of tears from the wind, but he couldn't help laughing in surprise and wonder. He never felt so exhilarated. He was able to keep his balance due to his stronger reflexes.

The tree branch began to curve around and Alex slightly bent over to the right so he wouldn't keep going straight. Tarzan zoomed in front of him and flashed a quick smile. Alex grinned and leaned forward to increase his speed. The two began a little race as the tree branches began to dip. Alex's stomach felt like it was going to fall out as the branch took a complete nosedive. Alex yelled in excitement and caught up with Tarzan who was sliding backwards with a smug smile.

Alex would have smiled along, but he noticed tree branches ahead that stood right in their way. Alex cursed and prepared to jump. Tarzan spun around just in time to jump over the intruding branches. Alex jumped and, with his increased strength along with his speed, was able to jump completely over all the branches and get ahead of Tarzan. Alex landed like a skier would do on a slope and continued to press forward. Soon enough, another branch stood in their way. This time, Alex summoned his sword and sliced the branch just as he reached it. Tarzan cocked his head to one side to dodge the broken pieces of wood that sped his way.

Soon enough, the tree branch ended and Alex fell down wondering where he was falling too. He screamed some more, but when he saw ground he braced himself. As he landed, he performed a roll to cushion the blow. Tarzan, on the other hand, landed as if it wasn't a big fall. Alex mumbled what a showoff Tarzan was and got back up. His entire body was shaking from the rush he just went through and it made Alex laugh. Tarzan looked at Alex, confused as to why the boy was laughing.

Alex turned around to see where they had landed and was surprised to see signs of human life. It was a large campground that was surrounded by bamboo trees. The sun shone brightly on the campground with no tree branches to stop it. A large, yellow tent had been set up against a thicket of trees. Attached to the tent was a long line of yellow canopies that covered bookshelves and boxes from the rain. There was a big pile of boxes near the center of the campground that were stacked in a way that someone could climb to the top of the pile. Near the boxes, was a flagpole that sported the British flag. Right in front of Alex and Tarzan, was a straight wooden table and many test tubes, beakers, and other scientific implements covered the top of it. On Alex's side of the tent was a blackboard with chalk that already had something drawn on it. Alex walked over to the the blackboard to see the figure that was drawn was Tarzan. The drawing showed him hunched over in an ape-like stance, something Alex knew that Tarzan adopted from being with the gorillas for so long.

"Alex, come," Tarzan motioned for Alex to come over to the entrance of the tent.

_I'm not your pet dog_, Alex thought. Yet, he followed Tarzan's order. Tarzan put a finger to his lips, telling Alex to be quiet, and slowly lifted the yellow flap that led to the inside of the tent.

The inside of the tent held more books and a map of Africa taped to the side. A projector sat in the middle of the small space and chairs were set up behind it, to view whatever the projector was showing. A woman was fiddling with the projector. Her attire, Alex thought, was fit for the jungle. She wore a white, sleeveless top with a red skirt that had been torn at one side, revealing her perfectly tanned legs. She had brown hair that obviously had been grown out and blue eyes. As soon as he saw her, Alex knew who she was.

Tarzan, walking on all fours with his knuckles pushing against the floor, said, "Jane!"

The woman turned her attention from the projector and flashed a beautiful smile towards the jungle man. "Tarzan. Oh, and who might this be?" She pointed to Alex.

Alex nervously spoke. "Um, hi there I'm-."

Jane cut him off. "Oh, you speak English. So, that means you're not related to Tarzan."

Alex and Tarzan looked at each other and both of them shook their heads. Neither of them wanted to be related to one another.

"Were you here with the other boy?" Jane asked.

Alex's heart skipped a beat. "What other boy?"

Jane turned around and went to the side wall, pulling back a flap that Alex didn't even notice. "This boy."

Alex walked over to the hidden room to see Sora lying in a hammock with a hot cloth on his forehead. He was sleeping, but Alex quickly put an end to his peaceful slumber by yelling, "SORA!" Sora's eyes opened and he jumped out of the hammock, summoning his Keyblade.

"Jesus! Calm down it's me," Alex held his hands up. Tarzan gripped his spear, wondering how the boy's weapon had appeared from thin air.

"Alex," Sora smiled and put away his Keyblade. The two friends shared a quick hug, but, just as quickly, separated.

"Where did you find him?" Alex asked Jane.

"I found him knocked out on the campground. I heard an awful racket outside and went to investigate. I found him, lying on the ground with a few cuts on his forehead."

Alex was surprised that that was all Sora got from his fall. Maybe being the Keybearer had a hand in that.

"So, are you boys here to study the gorillas?" Jane asked.

_What?_ Alex thought. _Why would I study gorillas?_

Alex looked at Sora, who seemed just as puzzled by the question as Alex was.

Alex was about to speak when the tent flap opened and a British voice entered the room saying, "Highly doubtful."

Jane looked up and over Sora as the two boys turned around to see who had spoken. A tall, burly man with slicked back hair entered the room carrying a shotgun. Alex knew by the looks of his outfit and weapons that the man was a hunter. Even more surprising, walking behind the hunter, was Donald and Goofy. Alex and Sora smiled with relief that they were okay.

Goofy looked over the hunter's shoulder and yelled, "Alex! Sora!"

"Goofy! Donald!," Alex and Sora cried out. Alex ran over and almost tackled Goofy with a hug and Sora ran over to Donald, ready to embrace the duck. But the events that had occurred on the Gummi Ship stopped either one of them from going any further. Instead, the two scowled at each other, turned on the balls of their feet, and folded their arms, not looking at the other. Alex and Goofy stood in between them, not knowing which side to take. Jane looked at the team oddly, not knowing what was going on and the British hunter laughed aloud.

"A circus of clowns," The hunter waved his hand around in a dismissive manner and began to exit the tent. "Not much use for hunting gorillas."

Jane took offense to that remark and put her hands on her hips. "Mr. Clayton, allow me to jog your memory. We are here to study them, not to hunt them. This is research!"

Realizing the hunter wasn't listening to a word she had said, Jane rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. She put on a happy face and turned to her new guests. "Well, the more the merrier. Do make yourselves at home."

Donald and Sora made no indication that they had heard her, so Jane shrugged her shoulders and slowly walked out of the tent, Tarzan following behind her. Alex looked at Goofy, who was looking at his teammates one at a time, and gave him a look asking, What are we going to do?

Sora, wanting to be the first to break the silence, said, "Well anyway."

"I'm staying." The words slipped out of both, Donald Duck and Sora's, mouths and the two looked at each other in surprise. The outcome of the short conversation had not been what either of them wanted to hear.

Goofy decided to change the subject by pulling out the Gummi block he had found earlier and cupping it in his hands. He tapped on Alex's shoulder, who in turn, tapped on Sora's.

"Look what Donald and I found," Goofy held up the block. "Look at this."

Alex and Sora looked at the odd shaped block as it sparkled in the tent. Alex found it hard to believe that spaceships could be made out of such oddly shaped material.

"Gummi block, right?" Alex said. "Where did you find it?"

"We found it where we landed," Donald said, not wanting to rehash the details of his experience with the gorilla.

"Wait a second," Sora said. "What is a Gummi block doing in a backwater place this?" Sora stole a glance at Donald who was growling under his breath.

Alex got what Sora was hinting at. "So, that means your king could be here."

"Yep," Goofy nodded happily.

"We have to work together to look for him," Donald said. He narrowed his eyes as they fell upon the Keybearer. "For now."

Sora copied the look right back at Donald, saying, "Fine! I'll let you tag along. For now."

Alex knew this was going to be a recipe for disaster.

* * *

Alex led the way out of the tent as he got a better look at his surroundings. He saw Jane showing Tarzan the drawing she had made of him and he touched the blackboard with great interest. Then, he picked up a piece of chalk and started to lick it and his tongue reeled back in disgust. Jane could do nothing but giggle. Alex went past the enormous pile of boxes to a corner of the campsite that had a grandfather clock and table with Elizabethan tea cups. Clayton was sitting at the table sipping his tea with a very pompous look on his face. Alex walked over to him and surprisingly, Goofy followed him. This caused Sora and Donald to wander off to different parts of the campsite, not wanting to be left alone with each other.

Alex pulled up a chairs for him and Goofy to sit in before he said, "So, Jane is here to study gorillas. Why are you here if you don't mind me asking?"

Clayton set down his teacup and gave a slight giggle. "Well, you certainly don't beat around the bush do you. I'm here as a bodyguard to Miss Porter. Her father payed top dollar for the best out there and here I am."

Goofy gulped before he spoke and said, "Gawrsh, you seem pretty sure of yourself. I wish I was like that."

Clayton smiled at Goofy. "Well, when you've seen the things I've seen. Witnessed what I've witnessed. Then you wouldn't be so surprised."

"What have you seen?" Goofy asked.

"I was a soldier to begin with," Clayton explained. "Many days I spent fighting and that was the only thing you could do to survive as a soldier. It's killed or be killed on the battlefield and I don't prefer to be killed."

Goofy understood Clayton's philosophy quite well. It was mostly the same as what his instructors told him about war. Although Goofy knew it was true, it still didn't make him feel any better about fighting. Alex had learned enough about world wars to know what Clayton was talking about.

"I notice you carry a shotgun," Alex said. "Is that part of the whole bodyguard gig?"

Clayton nodded. "This double-barreled beauty has been with me for as long as I can remember and gotten me out of a few touch scrapes as well."

Alex gave Clayton a fake smile. He knew exactly why the so called bodyguard was here. He was here to hunt the gorillas. Like most kids in grade school at the time, Alex had seen the movie Tarzan and remembered the villain sitting right in front of him. The smug smile on Clayton's face made Alex want to grind his fist into it.

"Alex!" The brown haired boy rolled his eyes as he recognized the frustrated voice of Sora. He gave a quick "Excuse me" to the hunter and made his way to the other side of the campsite. Alex turned the corner made by the giant pile of boxes and saw Tarzan sniffing Sora continuously. He turned his head to the side to see Donald Duck on his back laughing hysterically.

Sora pushed Tarzan away making hand motions. "Dude, there is a personal bubble right here. And you just popped it."

Tarzan smiled at Sora. "Bubble? What is a bubble? I don't see it."

Sora sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere with the jungle man. He saw Alex and gave him a look asking "What did I do?". Alex just shook his head.

Sora walked up to Jane who was standing in front of the sketch Tarzan made and asked, "So, why can't he understand us all that well?"

Jane turned to the boy saying, "Apparently, Tarzan was raised in this jungle by the gorillas."

Goofy, who had just finished chatting with Clayton, said, "Gee, how is that possible?"

"If your parents could raise you, Goofy, then anything is possible," Donald said. Goofy gasped at Donald who just shrugged his shoulders.

"Communicating with Tarzan is still a bit of a chore," Jane explained. "But he is learning."

Alex remembered the strange grunts that Tarzan made on their first meeting and said, "So he was speaking gorilla back there. That explains a lot."

Jane nodded. "Tarzan tells me that you are looking for your friends."

Sora glanced at Alex who said, "I asked him if he knew where Riku and Kairi were and then he went into ape mode so I just assumed he knew where they were."

Goofy put his hand against his head. "I wonder what that word could be." The others took a moment of silence to see if they could come up with any ideas.

Finally, Jane's eyes brightened and she said, "Why don't we use the slide projector in the tent?"

Donald narrowed his eyes. "How is that going to help?"

Jane was a little annoyed by the duck's pessimism, but explained, "I have many slides, so why don't we just show Tarzan them and see if any of them match up with the word he's trying to say."

"Well, I like it," Alex said.

"I still don't know if it'll work," Donald grumbled.

"Got any better ideas, genius?" Sora growled. Donald just folded his arms, angry that he didn't have one.

The group made their way to the tent and entered. Jane quickly gathered up slides from her pile of books and held them in her hand. She put one in and dimmed the lamp illuminating the small space. A beam of light shot out from the projector and landed on the tent wall opposite the projector. The first image was of a woman in elegant clothing being presented flowers by a man who was kneeling. Tarzan looked over at Jane who blushed. Alex couldn't help but give a slight giggle at the sight of that.

The next image was one that Tarzan grunted in delight at. The image of a gorilla shone on the blank tent wall. Quickly, the image shifted to a ship that reminded Alex of naval battles between France and Britain. He didn't find it a coincidence that Jane had an image of one. He didn't have much time to ponder history as the image shifted to one of two men in fencers masks, swords drawn at one another. The picture reminded Alex of the duels he would have with Sora and Riku on the islands.

The last image was of a majestic castle, surrounded by pine trees and white mist giving it a haunting feel. This picture caught Alex's interest. He wasn't sure why, but the picture gave him a sense of familiarity. He couldn't understand why he was having this feeling because he was sure that he had never seen this place before in his life.

The picture shifted back to the wall of the tent and Alex felt relieved to be free of the weird feeling. Jane took the slides and set them off to the side and she turned to Tarzan asking, "Well, Tarzan does that mean anything to you?"

Tarzan had a blank stare on his face as he looked at Alex and Sora. Sora was shifting his position in nervousness and Alex tried to find any hint of a smile on Tarzan's face. Unfortunately, he could find none.

"Where are my friends, Riku and Kairi?" Sora asked, desperate to hear any mention of his friends.

Tarzan kept gazing at Sora until he closed his eyes and shook his head. Alex and Sora gasped.

"Wait a second," Alex said. "I thought-."

"That leaves just one place." Alex turned around to see Clayton entering the tent. "Young man, we have been in this jungle for some time now. But we have yet to encounter these friends of yours."

Sora hung his head down in defeat as Clayton continued. "I'd wager they're with the gorillas, but Tarzan refuses to take us to them."

Jane touched Tarzan's arm saying, "Really Mr. Clayton. Tarzan wouldn't hide-."

"Then take us there," Clayton interrupted. "Take us to the gorillas."

Tarzan took a look away from the hunter and looked at the two boys. He could tell by their faces that they cared very much about their friends and would do anything to find them. But was that worth the safety of his own friends? Tarzan eventually caved in and nodded.

Jane blinked in surprise. "Tarzan, are you sure?"

Tarzan turned to Jane. "Tarzan go see Kerchak."

"Kerchak?"

Clayton smiled. "He must be the leader of the pack. Perfect! I'll go along as an escort. After all the jungle is a dangerous place."

Alex was the only one who caught a glimpse of Clayton's devilish smile. The boy knew that he was going to have to stop Clayton sooner or later. But how was he going to do that without revealing everything to Sora? He knew that if he let things carry on as they were he would put Tarzan, Jane, and all of the gorillas in danger. Alex struggled to make a decision, but ultimately decided to let things carry on. After all, with the skills he and the rest of his friends had, one single hunter would be nothing to them. Alex would have put the thought to rest and stop worrying except for one small fact.

Ever since this journey had started, nothing had ever been as easy as Alex expected it to be.


	15. The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

Chapter 15: The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

"Wanna play I spy?"

"NO!"

The group consisting of Tarzan, who was the leader, Alex, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Clayton had been walking for a short while, but already boredom had surfaced on Alex's face. It wasn't that the jungle wasn't an interesting place, it just looked the same. The color green would be forever implanted into Alex's pupils. The group had each of their weapons out, ready for any sudden attack by a jungle creature, particularly the leopard Sabor. Alex was a little eager to get revenge on the beast for his welcoming party.

Tarzan had stopped trying to impress Jane by walking like a human and had resorted back to his gorilla stance. Clayton pointed the shotgun forward, his senses working overtime to detect any movement other than his. Goofy was a little less aware of his surroundings due to his constant attempts at getting Sora and Donald to start talking again. The Keybearer and the duck would simply scowl at each other and turn their heads. Goofy just scratched his head, wondering if anything could get them to converse.

"We're here," Tarzan announced. Alex stopped walking, causing Sora, Donald, and Goofy to walk straight into one another.

"Move outta the way, will ya?" Donald said, pushing Goofy out of his way so he could see what was going on.

"This is astounding," Clayton lowered his shotgun with his mouth wide open. "I've seen paintings of these in museums, but nothing compared to the real thing."

Alex cut in front of the court wizard to see what all the fuss was about and instantly widened his eyes. Small pools of water lay in front of them with hippos bathing themselves in the fresh water. Thin trees grew out of the pools, shielding the hippos from any rays of sunlight. The lagoon was surrounded by tall hedges.

"About time this jungle gave us something to look at," Alex exclaimed. Sora nodded in agreement.

"You boys don't like basking in the greatness of mother nature?" Clayton chuckled, walking forwards to get a better look.

"Nah," Sora said. "Just skip to the cool stuff. That's what I say."

"Suit yourself," Clayton replied.

Tarzan was obviously not new to this kind of sight because he walked over to a thick tree to the left side of them. The tree was covered with moss and ivy, but that didn't stop Tarzan from leaping off of the ground and digging his hands into the non-poisonous ivy. Alex smiled as the jungle man climbed the ivy with elegance, just like how he surfed the trees. After pulling on the ivy to make sure that it wouldn't move, Tarzan jumped off the tree and landed back on the ground.

"We must climb," Tarzan pointed to the tree.

It was the last thing Goofy wanted to hear. "Gee, um do we hafta? Can't we just find this Kerchak feller some other way?"

Tarzan shook his head. "Kerchak. He lies deep in the jungle. Where the sun stops touching the earth."

Sora scratched his chin and said, "Do you mean the treetops?"

Tarzan nodded and Goofy gulped. "This is the only way to get to him."

"C'mon ya big palooka," Donald slapped Goofy's back. "Don't be scared."

"Oh, like you're not?" Sora smirked at Donald.

The wizard simply replied, "Of course not!"

Alex laughed at the thought of Donald not being scared, but started to question his own fear of heights. He knew he really wasn't all that scared, but climbing a tree in the jungle was something Alex wasn't experienced with. A lot of things could happen, such as the ivy breaking, or getting attacked by baboons. Either way, Alex knew they had to press on. This was the chance to find out the truth about Riku and Kairi.

Tarzan led the way and started to climb. Alex gripped the ivy hesitantly before finally reaching up with his arms and planting his feet on the thin grooves in the trees. Sora followed quickly afterward, not intimidated by the massive climb. Donald had to practically push Goofy onto the ivy before climbing up, telling himself mentally to not look down. The duck took a look back to see that Clayton had vanished.

_That's odd_, Donald thought. _I wonder where he could have gone._

The wizard shrugged his worries away and concentrated on the climb ahead of him. Alex compared Tarzan on trees to Spider-Man on buildings. He moved so naturally, which made Alex jealous as his fingers ached under the pressure of holding up his body. His legs shook and Alex told himself it was because of the strain, but it was also due to fear. Sora had a bit of a hard time getting his big shoes into the indents in the ivy and tree, but the extra strength gathered from being the Keybearer was more than enough to make up for that.

The climb took about ten minutes. As they got higher into the trees, Alex was greeted with a sight that made him happy he had come all this way. Rays of light shined through the tiny space in between branches and leaves, illuminating the treetops and even higher canopies. Vines swung from their trees in the wind and Alex kept a cautious eye on the vines in case one of them turned out to be a snake.

When the party reached the top of the tree, they all took a short break. Alex bended his fingers repeatedly and Sora stretched his legs out. Donald was too busy trying to calm Goofy down. Tarzan crouched with his knuckles planted on the treetop and sniffed the air. Alex guessed he was trying to find the scent of the gorillas.

Tarzan stopped his sniffing and turned to the rest of them, pointing through the trees. "We must go that way."

Sora stepped forward and asked, "And how do you expect us to go that way? There isn't any path. And I don't think we can even jump across these treetops."

Tarzan grunted and grabbed a nearby vine, showing it to the group. "We swing."

Alex stared at Tarzan with an annoyed look. "You're kiddin' me, right?"

"I don't think he is," Sora whispered.

Goofy smiled weakly and said, "Y'mean we gotta....swing on vines."

Tarzan smiled. "Is something wrong?"

Goofy shook his head and Alex muttered, "Oh, possible breaking of my body and perhaps death, but other than that, nope nothing wrong with me."

"C'mon. Kerchak is not far," Tarzan gripped the vine, got a running start, and leaped off the treetop. He twisted his legs around the vine for support and yelled as he swung like a pro. Alex couldn't help but be somewhat impressed. The comparisons to Spider-Man kept showing themselves. Tarzan let go of the vine as soon as he had another treetop to fall on. The leaves crunched beneath his feet and the branches creaked, making Alex nervous about the stability of the trees.

"It is as easy as...cake," Tarzan said as he swung the vine back over to the others.

As Alex grabbed the vine, he replied, "I think the word you're looking for is pie, my good man." Alex took hold of the vine with both hands and casually tested it out by tugging on it. Even though he saw Tarzan, a man who weighed more than he did, swing easily across, he would be stupid not to be cautious. Alex slowly walked to the edge of the tree and peered over the edge. Mist covered the earth below him which made Alex even more nervous than he already was.

"For those about to die, we salute you!" Sora mocked and gave a fake salute to Alex. Donald and Goofy gave slight giggles, but realized that they would have to swing sooner than later. The Gummi block in Goofy's pocket was a constant reminder that the King might be somewhere on this world.

Alex took a deep breath and muttered, "Here goes nothing." With that out of the way, Alex sprinted forward to get enough speed. The edge kept getting bigger as he advanced and soon enough Alex jumped off the edge and wrapped his legs around the vine. He saw lush greenery speed by him and the hovering mist showered his face.

"OOOOO-AAAAA!" Alex imitated Tarzan's yell as he got closer to the jungle man. The sword wielder timed it just right as he let go of the vine and landed right by Tarzan. Tarzan gave him a pat on the back and complimented, "Good."

Sora was up next who showed little fear as he swung across the jungle and landed right next to Alex. "Show-off," Alex muttered.

Donald was more scared than he let on, but he didn't want to look like a coward in front of Sora. He quacked all the way to the next tree. Goofy took the longest. The captain of the guard took a lot of convincing from his companions until he finally swung across with his eyes closed, so he wouldn't look at the ground. Unfortunately, this caused Goofy to totally miss his landing and slam head-on into a tree. Alex winced as the knight crashed into the tree.

"He's gonna fall," Donald yelled as he pointed to Goofy. The knight was slowly starting to regain consciousness and began to pull himself out of the indentation he had made on the tree. But as soon as he did that, he took a step away from the tree and, since there was nothing beneath his feet, he fell. Tarzan was the first one to react as he grabbed another nearby vine and swung towards the falling knight. When Tarzan realized that he had too much height, he let go of the vine slightly and slid down it like a fire pole. When he knew he was at the right height, Tarzan tightened his grip and extended his arm, catching Goofy and taking him to another treetop.

"Man that was close," Sora said as he wiped sweat off his forehead. The others swung over to Goofy faster than before and asked him if he was alright.

"Aw, I'm okay fellas," Goofy chuckled. "It's gonna take a little more than a short fall to stop me." Alex mentally thanked every single god that was out there for Goofy's safety. The big lug was starting to grow on him.

Tarzan continued to lead the group further into the jungle. Alex had to fight the urge to ask if they were there yet. Along the way, Alex saw a herd of elephants below him, but he didn't call out to them. He knew better than to scare a large animal. Donald and Sora continued not to talk to one another and it was beginning to get on Alex's nerves, but he knew there was a pretty good reason for it. Eventually, the team reached their stopping point. Tarzan directed their attention to a tree branch above them. Standing on it, were two gorillas. One of them had black hair that appeared shiny in the sunlight and he was big. Alex knew from the looks of him that this gorilla was the leader. The other animal was a little smaller and her hair was brown. Alex couldn't remember who she was.

Tarzan walked forward slowly before saying, "Kerchak."

Sora whispered in Alex's ear, "So, this is Kerchak? He's bigger than I thought he would be." Alex nodded in response.

Despite the fact that Tarzan was raised by these creatures, Kerchak did not look happy with the jungle man. He stared at Tarzan, then scanned the others with him and growled. Alex guessed he didn't like other people knowing about his clan.

Tarzan stood up on both legs, almost as a way of showing defiance to his leader, and spoke, "Kerchak, please listen to me." The gorilla narrowed his gaze and grunted.

"I know the nesting grounds are secret," Tarzan continued.

Shockingly, Kerchak said, "And yet you still brought the strangers to us. What were you thinking?!"

Tarzan hung his head down and said, "I-I trust them."

"You are so naive," Kerchak growled. "Strangers aren't trustworthy. This is a small group now, but they'll be back with more. And they will destroy our home. Do you really want that?!"

Tarzan brought his head up and met Kerchak's stare. "B-but, they... need us." Alex knew that it must take great courage for Tarzan to stand against his own family like this and he felt that he should repay the favor.

The female gorilla put her hand on Kerchak's arm and said, "Kerchak, please. Let them speak."

Kerchak's eyes wheeled around at the female in surprise. "You support his decision, Kala? How can you defend this?"

The female gorilla, Kala, said, "I want to hear what the strangers have to say." Alex and the others reeled back in surprise. The last thing they wanted to do was intrude on this family feud.

Mostly out of fear for what might happen if they didn't speak, Goofy stepped forward and said, "Erm, uhm, Your Highness. Please don't yell at Tarzan. He was only tryin' to help us find our friends."

Kerchak was a little surprised by what Goofy said and asked, "And who are these friends of yours?"

Immediately, Sora jumped in front of Goofy and said, "Riku and Kairi. Riku's the one who has long, blue hair and Kairi has short, brown hair. I know they're here. Have you seen them?"

Before Kerchak could give an answer, Donald cut in front of Sora and quickly said, "King Mickey, have you seen him? He's a little short, but he has big, round ears."

"Excuse me," Sora pushed Donald out of the way. "But I was just explaining to Kerchak who we are looking for."

"Never heard of 'em," Donald lied. Alex and Goofy stepped in between the two and pushed them back before they could come to blows.

"Look," Alex explained. "We are not here to destroy your nesting grounds, despite what you might think. We're just looking for our friends and that's it. I realize that you want to protect your family from any outsiders. I just want you to know that we mean you no harm."

Kerchak snorted at the human below him, right before he shifted his head in a different direction of the jungle. He flared his nostrils, sniffed the air, and growled in frustration. He leaped off the tree branch and landed on the jungle floor. Kerchak got out of Alex's eyesight as the gorilla bounded through the jungle.

Tarzan hung his head and fell to his knees, mumbling, "Kerchak."

Kala climbed down to her son's level and hugged him tightly. Alex swore he could hear muffled cries coming from the jungle man, which pained him greatly.

Donald and Goofy turned to each other and, not wanting to interrupt Tarzan and Kala, whispered, "He seemed kinda distracted by something."

Kala and Tarzan separated after awhile and Alex could see faint red marks on his cheeks.

Sora walked up to Kala and asked, "Has he always been like this?" He was hinting toward Kerchak.

Kala sighed. "No. Not always."

"What happened?" Sora asked, interested to hear about the gorilla's past.

"It's nothing," Tarzan said before Kala could get a word out. "He has always despised me. And it is because I am...different."

"Well gawrsh," Goofy said. "You can't treat someone like that just because you're different."

"I guess it's different for gorillas," Donald suggested. "I mean, everyone in their group has to look somewhat the same. Where we come from, Disney Castle, everyone looks different and we're used to it. Maybe gorillas aren't."

Goofy shook his head. "Bein' different shouldn't matter as long as you love each other right?"

"No," Kala said. "It shouldn't." Everone turned to the female gorilla to hear what she had to say.

Kala turned to Tarzan and said, "Tarzan, I'm about to tell you something I've never told you before." Tarzan saw how serious his mother was and listened intently.

"Before you came around," Kala explained, "Kerchak and I had a son."

Tarzan's eyes widened. "What?"

Kala looked at the ground, not wanting to face her son. "Our son was beautiful. He was going to be Kerchak's successor as the leader of our clan. I still remember the days I used to watch him sleep. His eyes were full of kindness and wonder. I loved him with all my heart, as did Kerchak."

Sora had a feeling that Kala had planned this out as a private conversation between her and Tarzan. He felt out of place as this mother divulged her deepest secret in front of complete strangers.

Suddenly, Kala peered up at everyone, her eyes full with tears, but her voice was serious and focused. "Then, one night he was taken away from us. He must have woken up in the night and gone to explore, but he never came back."

Due to the powerful way Kala was telling her story, Donald felt a twinge of anger at whatever took her son away. "Who did it?"

Kala paused and, with tears streaming down her face, looked at Alex and said, "You know who."

At first, Alex didn't have a clue what she was talking about, but he soon realized that the murderer of Kala's son was none other than the leopard, Sabor. It was bad enough that that bastard of a kitty tried to kill Alex as soon as he got here, but now Alex learned that the beast had killed Kala's innocent son. Alex vowed that upon their next meeting, Sabor wouldn't come out of the fight alive.

Tarzan had been taking this all in and said, "Mother, if this is true, why didn't you tell me?"

"There is much more for you to learn my son," Kala said. "And I will tell you when we get there."

"Then let's go," Sora said. "I bet it's where Kerchak is heading, right?" Kala nodded in response.

"Alright!" Alex declared. "Let's saddle up and go."

The tree house hadn't changed all that much from Alex's initial scrap with Sabor except for one small thing. Now, an old globe sat in the middle of the tree house. A small female gorilla was playing with it by continuously pushing it so it would spin around. The creature was fascinated by this round object because it was like nothing she had ever seen before. Even with all the dust and grime on it, she could still make out drawings on the object, along with names of places she didn't even know existed nor that she was interested in. Subtle creaks of the floorboards did nothing to detach her from the globe.

The hunter raised his shotgun, the cold steel of the barrel gleaming in the sunlight. He was situated just outside a broken window that was out of the gorilla's eyesight. The hunter was impressed that he was able to get this close to his prey without it realizing he was there. Even though he was barely in his forties, Clayton still had the cunning of a cat. He didn't make a sound for fear that he would scare the gorilla away. He stopped breathing and tightened his grip on the gun. He aimed the shotgun and pulled the trigger slowly.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Had Clayton been paying attention, he would have realized the small group of people coming up the large tree branch which lead to the tree house. Donald had spotted the hunter first and had sprinted as fast as he could before letting out a yell that pierced the entire jungle. Unfortunately for Clayton, Donald had yelled right into his ear and the hunter fell backward, realizing that he had temporarily gone deaf. Alex, Sora, Tarzan, and Kala caught up with the duck and it didn't take long for Tarzan to put two and two together about what Clayton was doing here.

"What the hell are you doing Clayton?" Sora yelled. Clayton, due to his temporary deafness, could only stare warily at Sora.

Tarzan walked into the tree house to make sure his friend was alright. The gorilla had hidden behind some crates that were by the broken stairway.

Tarzan peered behind the crates and asked, "Are you okay?" The gorilla poked her head out slightly, but upon realizing who she was speaking with, leapt out from behind the crates and gave Tarzan a hug. The jungle man smiled as he patted his friend's back.

Sora was about to yell at Clayton once more, but he saw Kerchak and Kala enter the house from the top floor. The gorillas were near the broken stairway and they surveyed the situation. Kerchak could only shake his head in sadness before starting to turn away.

Tarzan ran forward and yelled, "Wait Kerchak, please!"

The gorilla sighed and turned to face Tarzan. At first, Tarzan believed that Kerchak was actually going to listen to him, but the expression on Kerchak's face was not one of understanding.

The words Kerchak spoke cut Tarzan to the core. "I asked you to protect this family. And you have betrayed us all." With a final grunt, Kerchak exited the tree house the same way he came in.

"Mother," Tarzan bellowed before she left. Kala looked at the boy she had raised for a long time and followed Kerchak. Tarzan couldn't believe that she had left him too. He felt like his whole world was crumbling beneath him. The others looked at Tarzan with sympathy and wanted to do their best to help him. But some matters had to come first.

Alex's face turned from one of sympathy to one of anger as he looked at the hunter lying on the ground. Clayton looked up to see four very angry faces looking down at him. He gulped and decided to improvise. "You don't understand! I was only trying to..." He struggled to find the right words to say. "A-a snake slithered by you see! I was going to shoot it and save that poor gorilla."

"But you didn't shoot," Sora said, "so why didn't it bite her?"

Clayton got up off the ground, dusted himself off, and said, "I guess the snake must have been scared off by this duck's loud voice." The hunter pointed at Donald who decided to take the hunter's words as a compliment.

Tarzan walked over to the hunter. Clayton was scared that the jungle man was going to attack him, but Tarzan didn't. He only stared at Clayton with utter malice in his eyes before he took a deep breath and walked away.

* * *

"How could you DO such a thing?!" Jane shrieked.

The group had retreated back to the campground and Alex explained everything to Jane. After Alex had finished, Jane began to lash out verbally at the hunter.

Clayton backed off defensively, raising his arms in surrender, and said, "Now Ms. Porter, as I tried to tell you, I was not aiming at the gorilla."

Jane pointed her finger at Clayton and poked him in the chest upon every word she spoke. "You are not to go near the gorillas again."

Clayton couldn't believe how stubborn she was. He couldn't allow this to happen. "All because of one little mishap, come now!"

It took Clayton a second to realize that his words had done nothing to quell the anger within the tent. Every single person had their arms folded and was doing their best to remain calm, which some were doing better than others. Clayton chuckled slightly, while backing up out of the tent, trying to break the tension. He felt the tent flap with his hand and turned his back as soon as he was outside, wanting to make sure Tarzan didn't try to attack him from behind.

He walked to the middle of the campsite, making sure he was out of ear range, and twisted his face into a frustrated scowl. "What am I doing with these imbeciles? Blasted gorillas!" The hunter gripped his shotgun tightly as he spoke. "I'll hunt down every last one of them. I'll track them down somehow! I'll stake my life on it." The hunter took a big breath to calm himself and put his pipe in his mouth. He lit a match and was about to light his pipe.

Suddenly, he heard a loud rustle within the bamboo trees. His eyes went wide and his body went on full alert. He lowered the pipe into his pocket as he heard more noises. He shifted his head from side to side to try and find the source of the noise, but there was nothing to be seen. As the noises began to get louder, he began to circle his entire body around, constantly darting his eyes to different parts of the trees. He held his shotgun in a hunter's stance and did his best to pinpoint the sound. He heard one more rustle in the trees and realized where it was coming from. He aimed carefully and fired, the shot echoing throughout the jungle.

"What the hell?!" Alex exclaimed.

"That was a gunshot," Sora said.

"Then it must have been Clayton," Donald deduced rather easily.

"He really needs to loosen up," Goofy said.

Jane wasn't convinced. "Maybe he was shooting at something real."

"Who cares?" Donald shrugged. "That guy should get what's coming to him."

Alex thought that was a little harsh, but didn't want to argue with the duck. "Maybe we should go check guys. I mean, who knows what's out there."

Alex was trying to make a point to Sora, Donald , and Goofy. Luckily, all of them nodded without Jane or Tarzan seeing them.

"I really don't think you have to," Jane said. "Mr. Clayton isn't bad underneath. He's just impetuous."

"Sounds just like someone else I know," Sora said while staring at Donald, who folded his arms in protest.

Not wanting to get into another argument, Goofy said, "Well, I think we should look for him." Alex nodded in agreement and summoned his sword. "Let's go prepared this time."

The others summoned their weapons, causing Jane to jump in surprise. Tarzan held on to his spear and lead the way out of the tent. The jungle man pushed open the tent flap, but didn't go out right away. He sniffed the air around him and shifted his eyes from one side of the campground to another. He slowly pointed his spear forward and stepped out into the campground, the others following right behind him.

Alex noticed a change in the weather. The sun wasn't out anymore, instead the sky had turned a moody gray and mist began to make its way onto the campground. Alex really didn't like this scenario and rose his sword in front of him. Sora's Keyblade provided some light to the area, but did little to stave off the chills going up his spine. Goofy was having a bit of deja vu considering something similar to this happened to him in Wonderland. He tried to put his old skills into action again. Tarzan held the spear low and kept sniffing the air. Something was wrong. Usually, he could find the enemy just by its scent, but this time there was no scent. As if, whatever was out there wasn't really alive. Alex was about to call out to the others when a pool of darkness appeared in front of him. A creature leaped out of it and Alex was shocked to see the Heartless in such a form. This Heartless looked like a monkey. It was different shades of blue all around. The Heartless insignia was plastered on its chest and its face was complete blackness except for its yellow eyes. It had large fists and it walked with its legs and hands just like Tarzan did.

"Guys!" Alex screamed. "They're monkeys now!"

Everyone got the message as several of these Powerwilds appeared throughout the area. Alex thrust with the sword, but the monkey Heartless leaped over it. As it came down, the Heartless extended its fist, catching Alex on the side of his head. Alex grunted, but continued to attack with a vertical chop. The Powerwild dodged to the side, but Alex shot it with a fireball, sending the scary monkey crashing into the large pile of crates. Before the Heartless could get up, Alex stabbed it in the chest.

Donald blocked the Powerwild's punch with his staff and kicked the Heartless in the face. Another Heartless jumped into the fray only to be met by Donald's upgraded fire spell. Donald was suddenly tripped by a Heartless that had slid on the ground and kicked the duck's feet out from under him. The Heartless leaped up and kicked out, trying to break the wizard's back, but Donald spun in the air and whacked the Powerwild in the face. Still in the air, Donald shot the Heartless with a blizzard spell. As he raised his staff, urging more to meet their demise, Goofy jumped over Donald and crashed into the group of Powerwilds. The knight crashed his shield into the enemy, the evil monkeys flying through the air and crashing into the ground. Goofy yelled, "Tornado!", and wreaked havoc upon the group of Heartless. If they weren't decapitated by the edge of Goofy's shield, then they were without a chest, considering Goofy punched through it.

Sora and Tarzan fought side by side, with Sora leading the way against the Heartless. Sora slashed at a Powerwild, and when it dodged, he blasted it with lightning. A Heartless swung its fist in a fast manner at Sora, causing the Keybearer to go on the defensive. With his heightened reflexes, dodging the punches were easy and Sora quickly found an opening to stab the Heartless. The Keybearer looked back to see Tarzan fighting like a beast unleashed. The jungle man howled as he thrust his spear into the chest of the Powerwilds. He blocked a punch with the shaft of his spear and quickly shot up the sharp point into the face of the Heartless. He roared as he twirled his spear with the speed of a cheetah, killing all the Powerwilds who got in his way. When the last of the Heartless grabbed his staff, the two engaged in a tug of war. Tarzan gritted his teeth as the strength of the monster overcame his own and his spear went flying. Luckily, Tarzan was just as much a threat with or without his spear. The jungle man punched the Heartless in the gut and elbowed it in the face. Then, Tarzan kicked the Powerwild onto a table, causing all the beakers and lab equipment on it to be smashed. Tarzan leaped in the air and slammed his fist straight through the Powerwild, causing it to disintegrate right before his eyes.

After the Heartless were gone, everyone took a deep breath. The group regathered in the center of the campground.

"I was wondering when those guys were gonna show up," Alex exclaimed as he hyperventilated.

Sora cast a questionable look in Alex's direction, asking, "So, you wanted those things to find us?"

Alex shook his head. "No! It just took them a little longer than I thought for them to find us."

Sora couldn't help but agree. "That's true."

"What were those things?" Tarzan asked, looking at anyone for an answer. The others hesitated because they didn't want to tell Tarzan the truth about the creatures.

"They're just monsters," Alex finally said. "Monsters that have been following us for awhile. We need to stop them from whatever it is that they're doing. These creatures will actually bring about destruction like Kerchak was talking about."

Tarzan widened his eyes. "How is that possible?"

Sora put a hand on Tarzan's shoulder. "Believe me Tarzan, if we knew we could tell you."

"We need to find Clayton," Goofy exclaimed. "If those creatures found us, them they probably found him too."

The others nodded in agreement and began a trek through the jungle, looking for the impetuous hunter. Along the way, they were attacked again by the Heartless, but they were ready this time. Donald made it a point to not help Sora out whenever he was in danger, but fortunately Alex always had Sora's back. Alex and Goofy were getting worried because this feud was starting to become a little dangerous. Their travels eventually took them to the bamboo thicket. The place Donald and Goofy had met Clayton.

"So this is where you guys woke up?" Alex asked Donald as they entered the clearing.

"Yeah," Donald said. "I guess we must have fallen here after..." He looked at Sora who pretended like he wasn't listening and said, "After the crash."

"Look," Tarzan pointed to the small boulder in the middle of the clearing. Everyone ran over to it to find a pipe sitting on the top of the boulder.

"This was Clayton's," Sora said. "So, where is he?"

"Very good question," Alex replied. "Maybe those creatures got him."

Alex saw Tarzan sniff the air and his eyes widened. The jungle man frowned at Alex and said, "Or maybe something else."

Alex felt a chill go up his spine. "S-something else?" Tarzan nodded as he gripped his spear more tightly. This was a signal for everyone to summon their weapons and spread out.

Alex did his best to look through the cracks the thin bamboo gave for any kind of movement. He didn't get that close however. He had a really bad feeling that this wasn't the Heartless. Sora and Donald made sure they weren't by each other as they searched for the unknown beast and it annoyed Goofy to see that. Tarzan got close to the bamboo and used his sharp eyes to find any flicker of movement. There was no noise in the thicket, but Tarzan wasn't convinced. Alex turned around to see how the others were doing and watched Tarzan. As the jungle man passed the bamboo, Alex saw something move. When he looked closer, he realized the movement was the opening of sharp jaws attached to a leopard.

"Tarzan! Watch out! It's Sabor!" Alex yelled at the top of his lungs.

Tarzan turned around in time to see Sabor roar and leap out of the thicket. The beast, with claws outstretched, fell upon Tarzan. The man's instincts went into high gear as he used Sabor's own momentum to roll and kick the leopard off. Sabor roared as he hit the ground, but got up with unnatural speed. The leopard faced down the group of five, saliva escaping his mouth.

Alex gritted his teeth as he said, "Here kitty, kitty , kitty. Meow!"

Sabor's response was to sprint for Alex with fury in the leopard's eyes. But Sabor never got to the boy because Goofy slammed into the leopard's side with his shield. Sabor recoiled from the blow very quickly and lashed out at Goofy, but Donald hit Sabor with a thunder spell. Sora attacked the distracted Sabor and cut him in his side. Sabor gnashed his teeth in pain and swung his claws at Sora. The Keyblade parried the claws of the beast, but Sora fell to the ground because a rock tripped him. As Sabor descended upon his prey, Tarzan tackled the leopard and the two rolled on the ground.

Tarzan stuck the shaft of the spear in Sabor's mouth so the beast couldn't bite him and he punched the leopard in the nose. In retaliation, Sabor scratched Tarzan with his claws, causing him to cry out in pain and get off the leopard. Alex threw a potion over to Tarzan and told him to drink it, right before he attacked Sabor once more with a kick. Sabor growled as the boy's foot connected with his side and roared as his sword sliced his back. Alex backed off because he knew the creature couldn't last much longer.

"Tarzan!" The jungle man looked in his direction. "He's all yours!"

Tarzan nodded at Alex and proceeded toward Sabor slowly. This beast killed Kala's true son and Tarzan was going to make sure that Sabor's murders ended today. The beast growled as he saw Tarzan come toward him. Tarzan stopped and held his spear in front. The two opponents made no movement as they glared at each other.

Finally, at the same time, both opponents roared and charged. They collided with Tarzan's staff blocking Sabor's claws from reaching him. Their strength was equal as both struggled to come out on top. Tarzan turned out to be the victor as he pushed Sabor off his staff and tackled the beast once more. Tarzan ducked one of Sabor's claws and nicked the leopard with the spear on his underside. Sabor nicked Tarzan on his legs and Tarzan retaliated by twirling his staff, whacking Sabor with the end of the shaft. Sabor dived for the jungle man, but Tarzan jumped over the beast, nicking it in the back with the spear as he jumped over. As the battle entered its final phase, Tarzan thrust his staff at Sabor, but the leopard leaped to the side, causing Tarzan to pivot and spin around with the staff which stabbed Sabor in the leg. The beast cried out in pain. Tarzan finally finished it off by stabbing it in the stomach. The creature struggled to walk before finally falling to the ground.

Tarzan's body was full of battle wounds that were easily cured by Donald's healing spell. Goofy looked at Tarzan with admiration and Sora smiled at him. Alex walked over to Tarzan and put a hand on his shoulder. "I knew you could do it Tarzan."

"How?" Tarzan asked.

"Because that's what friends are for," Alex explained. "We believe in each other."

Tarzan smiled. "Friends. Like....Riku and Kairi." Alex smiled and said, "Yes."

"Thank you," Tarzan gripped Alex's hand with force, but Alex knew why. He nodded at Tarzan, accepting his friendship.

As the others looked on, Goofy asked Donald, "Didja get that?"

Donald shook his head. "No."

Suddenly, a gunshot echoed the area and everyone knew where it came from.

"Jane!" Tarzan bellowed.

* * *

As Alex, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Tarzan entered the camp, it was without a doubt in their minds that someone had attacked the camp. Crates had been broken into and their contents were laying all over the place. The porcelain tea set had been smashed against the ground and the grandfather clock had been turned over. The book sets under the canopy had been broken and the books themselves had been ripped many times over. The British flag had been ripped of its pole and was now lying in front of the entrance to the tent in tattered shreds.

"Jane!" Tarzan frantically called out. "Jane, where are you?!"

Donald and Goofy ran over to different corners of the campsite, looking under anything she might have fallen under. Alex and Sora went straight for the tent.

Goofy picked up a broken picture frame and saw that it was a picture of Jane and her father. Her father was a short man with a big mustache and he looked like he was going on a safari. Goofy looked at Donald and asked, "Who could have done this?"

Donald looked shocked that Goofy didn't realize. "It was the Heartless. Who else could have done it?"

Goofy shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe it was Clayton." Donald shuddered as he heard that suggestion. The last thing they needed was an expert hunter being turned into a Heartless.

"Hey guys! Help us out!"

Donald and Goofy ran back to the tent as Tarzan walked out of the tent holding the unconscious body of Jane.

"Gawrsh, is she gonna be okay?" Goofy asked as Tarzan lay her body on the ground.

"Someone get some water," Alex demanded, but he didn't need to bother. Everyone huddled over Jane as her eyes flickered open.

"Jane, are you alright?" Tarzan asked while he stroked her hair.

"Tarzan," Jane whispered out. "What happened?"

Donald stamped his foot on the ground impatiently. "We were about to ask you the same thing."

Jane groaned slightly as she pushed herself off the ground. She put a hand on her head and breathed deeply. Then, her eyes widened. "Oh my God!"

"What is it?" Alex asked as he got down on one knee.

"Clayton," Jane growled. "It was him. I'm sure of it."

"Told you," Goofy poked Donald in the chest as he said it.

Donald pushed his finger out of the way saying, "Okay fine. Don't go rubbin' my face in it will ya."

"There was this small gorilla. She must have ran through the jungle and found her way into my tent." Jane remembered. "I wondered what she was doing, but before I could even hide her, Clayton entered the tent with these foul creatures." Alex looked over to Sora who nodded in silent response. Clayton had now gotten control of some Heartless.

Tarzan was about to ask something, but he sniffed the air suddenly. He lowered his head and began to sniff the ground. Everyone peered over to see what he was looking for. Alex could see little paw prints in the ground and right behind them were human footprints.

"She ran," Tarzan finally said. "But Clayton went after her. I can smell others, too."

Jane gestured for Sora to help her get up, which he did. She wobbled a bit, but soon found her footing. "We must help the gorillas. Clayton's gone too far." Everyone agreed with her.

"We will Jane," Sora said. "I promise."

Donald walked over to Sora, surprising Alex and Goofy, and said, "You should stay here. You'll be safe."

"Okay," Jane nodded. "I'll stay in the tent."

"Wait, no!" Sora protested. "Those creatures could come back and attack and we aren't gonna be here to protect here." Donald was about to argue, but Tarzan said, "I agree. Jane you should come with us. I will protect you."

Tarzan," Jane felt her face get a little hot and everyone saw her blush.

Sora giggled before saying, "Alright, let's hunt this hunter down!"

"Dude," Alex shook his head in embarrassment. "You are so lame."

All was quiet in the nesting grounds of the gorillas. The dense canopies of trees only helped to increase the darkness considering it was nighttime. The tree branches were big and twisted all over the place. The echo of thunder in the distance helped to scare the younger gorillas, but their mothers were happy to hide them under their warm bodies. Kerchak was making one last round before going back to his own nest with Kala. As he made his way through the dense trees, he saw his mate sitting alone. Kerchak knew that she must be feeling terrible, but he still stood by his decision to keep the outsiders away from their loved ones.

He started to walk over to her before a gunshot pierced the night. All the gorillas began to grunt in terror and their children's high voices squealed with panic. Kerchak growled as he recognized the sound. The hunter had found them.

"Kerchak!" The gorillas turned to see Kala running towards him.

"Kala get out of here!" Kerchak yelled and motioned with his arm. "Get the others out."

Suddenly, Kerchak felt something hit him in the side and fell to the ground in a heap. Kala ran over to his side to see that he wasn't dead, but he looked woozy.

"You're lucky that was only a tranquilizer dart you stupid ape!" Kala turned her head to see the source of the voice. A man walked through the mist, carrying a shotgun and an evil grin on his face.

While he reloaded his gun, he said, "But this time, I'm going to make sure you don't escape me again." He locked the barrel back into place and pointed it at Kerchak. The monkey Heartless began to form behind him and they jumped around in happiness as they were about to have their next meal.

The other gorillas huddled together in fear as they watched their leader about to meet their demise. Kala was shaking uncontrollably, which made Clayton feel completely in control of the situation. Kerchak gritted his teeth together and tried to fight off the effects of the tranquilizer dart, but it was no use. The hunter gripped his gun and began to pull the trigger slowly.

"NO!!"

Clayton turned in surprise to see Sora, Alex, Donald, Goofy, Tarzan, and Jane all standing there in the mist. He couldn't believe they were still alive. Kerchak finally shook off the tranquilizer and roared in defiance. The Heartless attacked the angry gorilla, but Kerchak made short work of them, punching and throwing them into the jungle beyond.

"Kala let's get out of here!" Kerchak urged her.

"But Tarzan-!" Kala pointed to her son.

"He'll be fine," Kerchak assured her. "He has his friends by his side." Kala sighed, but nodded and the two of them retreated with the other gorillas to let their new friends take care of Clayton.

For a while, the hunter just stared at each potential enemy of his. His gun was still pointed in one direction even though the gorilla was no longer there. Alex knew that Clayton was a bad guy before, but now he wondered if something even more sinister was going on.

"Clayton," Sora said. He couldn't think of anything else to say to try and convince the hunter to stop.

Tarzan got Sora's attention and shook his head. "Not Clayton. Ee ee oo oo ah! Not Clayton!"

As soon as he heard that, Alex turned to the jungle man. That was the same phrase he had used when he first met Alex. What could it possibly mean? Sora gave a look to Alex, asking if he knew what Tarzan was talking about, but Alex shook his head. Donald and Goofy were just as stunned. Goofy looked to Donald for the answer, but the duck was already shaking his head in confusion. All Alex knew was that it had something to do with Clayton, who wasn't even talking to them.

"What the hell is going on with him?" Alex asked aloud, not caring if anyone answered or not.

Surprisingly, Clayton answered, "No one has been able to bring back a gorilla before. Everyone in Britain will pay to see these creatures in zoos. Do you realize that I'm standing on a potential gold mine here and I am not about to pass it up."

Jane scowled. "So all of this has been for money?"

"Damn right it is," Clayton growled.

"Sorry to burst your bubble Clayton," Alex said as he summoned his sword, "but the only one who's going back home in a bodybag, is you."

Clayton laughed. "We'll see about that." He turned to the Heartless beside him and motioned with his head towards the opposing group. The Heartless responded by leaping at the others with great fury.

Sora charged forward, Keyblade swinging, and smashed right into the group of Heartless. The Keyblade cut straight through one of the monkeys and another dodged the blade. However, despite past events, Donald covered Sora by blasting the Heartless with a fireball. Alex and Tarzan leaped into the fray with war cries. Tarzan's spear kept the Heartless at bay until he could stab them with the pointed edge. Alex swung and missed an evil monkey, but unintentionally, swung his sword back and cut another one. Alex turned around in surprise and finished off the Heartless with a vertical chop.

Goofy guarded Jane from the Heartless with his shield by pushing any Powerwilds that manged to get past the others back with his weapon. Then, he massacred the small group with his Tornado attack. Jane watched in wonder as Goofy exchanged bone-crushing blows with the creatures and winced when Goofy was punched by one. The knight crashed into the bushes, but quickly got back up in time to throw his shield, which slammed the creature into a tree. Goofy heard Jane cry out and looked to see her getting attacked by the Heartless. Goofy quickly sprinted over to her and bum rushed the Heartless with kicks and punches.

"Sora, get Clayton!" Alex said as he fought through the onslaught.

Sora nodded and pushed his way to the hunter. When Clayton saw that Sora was heading towards him, he simply smiled and pointed his shotgun at him. He pulled the trigger without hesitation. Sora braced for the bullet, but was surprised to see the bullet coming at him slower than he thought it would. It came at the speed of a bad pitcher throwing a baseball, giving Sora just enough time to block the bullet with his Keyblade. The bullet ricocheted off into the jungle. Clayton's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates until he yelled out, "How is that possible?"

Sora didn't answer him, instead continuing forward towards the hunter. Clayton, knowing that bullets weren't going to stop this kid, pulled his machete out of its sheath. "It's been awhile since I've seen a skilled opponent, such as yourself. Let's see how good you really are."

"Better than you! I can guarantee that," Sora retorted.

"We shall see!" Clayton said as he rushed at Sora, machete high in the air. Sora met Clayton's machete swing and the two blades showered sparks as they connected. Clayton growled in frustration and attacked with a horizontal slice. Sora was able to block that easily enough, and then attack with two quick thrusts. Clayton used all the speed in his body to bring his blade down in time to meet those thrusts, and even had to duck a head strike from Sora, which caused him to lose his balance. As soon as he fell on the ground, Sora put the sharp edges of the Keyblade against Clayton's neck.

"I don't want to hurt you Clayton!" Sora said in honesty. "Please don't make me." Clayton couldn't believe that he was being beaten by a mere boy and pushed the Keyblade out of the way with his machete, continuing his duel with the Keybearer.

Donald finished off the last of the Heartless with a thunder spell and went to check on Goofy. Alex looked on as Sora and Clayton battled. He was sure that Sora could handle him.

"Goofy, is she okay?" Donald asked as he approached his friend.

Jane answered for herself by saying, "Yes. I'll be fine." Then she looked at Goofy saying, "Thank you, Sir Knight."

Donald rolled his eyes as he saw Goofy blush, who replied, "Gee thanks. It wasn't nothin'."

The two blades connected once more as the struggle between Clayton and Sora waged on. Clayton brought his blade off of Sora's and slashed upward. Sora backed up, narrowly dodging the blade, and kicked Clayton in the chest, sending the hunter to the ground again. Clayton grunted as he hit the ground and he looked up at Sora with fury in his eyes.

"Just give up Clayton," Sora pointed the Keyblade at the hunter. "You can't beat me."

Clayton blinked as lightning crackled, creating scary shadows on the trees. He threw his machete to the side in defeat and lay his shotgun in front of Sora. "That's good," Sora said.

Alex ran over to the downed hunter and his friend, saying, "Looks like we caught ourselves a biggun'. Wouldn't you agree?"

Sora stopped giggling when he saw Tarzan make his way over to them. The lightning that flashed made the jungle man look more ominous than he already was. He picked up the shotgun and pointed it at Clayton.

"You will pay for what you have done here today," Tarzan said through gritted teeth.

"Whoah Tarzan," Alex put up his hands. "Calm down will ya?"

"Don't do something you'll regret," Sora pleaded with Tarzan.

Clayton just smirked as he stared into the barrel of his own gun and said, "Go ahead. Shoot me." Tarzan looked from Clayton to the gun, trying to decide what to do.

Clayton laughed. "Be a man."

Tarzan looked at Sora and Alex who were shaking their heads, mentally telling him to not go through with this. He took one last look at the shotgun before throwing it to the ground, screaming, "I am NOT a man like YOU!"

Alex put a hand on Tarzan's shoulder, as Sora gave a big sigh of relief, saying, "Good for you Tarzan. Good for you."

"Well, at least that battle is finally ov-!" Suddenly, Sora was slammed completely backwards. He flipped in the air over and over before hitting the ground on his chest.

"What the-OOF!" Alex yelled as he was thrust backwards as well. As he flew through the air, he hit many small tree branches that whacked him in the back, causing even more pain. He finally landed right next to Donald, Goofy, and Jane.

Donald jumped up in surprise, yelling, "Alex, what happened?"

Alex struggled to breathe and coughed out, "Don't..know. Some..thing is... out there." Goofy was about to ask what it was before Tarzan suddenly landed right in front of them.

"Tarzan!" Jane cried out as she bent over the jungle man. "Are you alright?!"

Tarzan was able to cough out. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

Goofy and Donald looked at each other, both wanting to know what the heck was out in the jungle. As they were about to ask a second time, a loud, warbling cry echoed throughout the entire jungle, before large rumbles began to make their way over to the group. Donald and Goofy both began to look slowly in the direction of the crashing trees, afraid at what they might see. The irony would be lost on each of them.

What they did see was Clayton hovering in the air, holding his shotgun and laughing maniacally. His legs were pushed to the side, which made Donald guess that he was riding some kind of invisible beast. The creature cried out again and Donald could see that the air was distorted beneath Clayton, so the creature wasn't entirely invisible, but the nighttime didn't help out.

"What the hell is that thing?" Alex said as he got back up painfully.

"You'll never leave this jungle alive," Clayton shouted as he pointed his gun at Alex, ready to pull the trigger.

Donald thought quickly and shot an ice beam at the shotgun, causing the barrel to freeze. Clayton pulled the trigger, but the bullet had been frozen into the gun. He yelled in frustration as he continued to pull the trigger, hoping that the bullet would magically escape its icy prison.

"Tarzan," Alex said. "You go for Clayton, we'll go for the thing underneath him." Tarzan nodded as he grabbed his spear. Alex turned to Donald and Goofy who had their weapons ready. "Let's go!"

Alex led the charge as he saw a fireball pass him, which hit the creature underneath Clayton. It bellowed in pain and Alex swung his sword, hoping that he wouldn't miss. He didn't and he felt the sword tear through flesh, though whose flesh he had no idea. Alex just continued to hack away. But the creature didn't like that and headbutted Alex and he fell back.

As Tarzan approached the beast, he used a different tactic. He ran forward to gain speed, and, using his spear, pole vaulted over the beast and crashed into Clayton, causing both men to fall off the beast.

Donald cast a blizzard spell at the bottom of the creature, hoping to hit its feet. It did and the creature was frozen to the spot. This gave Alex and Goofy the perfect opportunity to land some massive hits on the creature. Goofy performed Tornado on the creature who counterattacked by hitting Goofy into a tree. Because of this, Alex kept attacking, but he ducked at random, hoping that by sheer luck he wouldn't get hit. It actually worked once when Alex sliced the creature and he ducked, feeling the wind whoosh past him. But it only worked once and Alex was again hit to the ground.

Donald used his extra power to leap in the air and land on top of the creature. He grabbed onto the creature's back because the creature kept shaking, trying to get the duck off of its back. When the creature stopped shaking, Donald rose his staff into the air and yelled, "Thunder!" Bolts of lightning shot down from the sky and each one hit the creature. Donald felt the creature wobbling around and jumped off just in time so he didn't go down with the creature when it fell.

"SONIC BLADE!"

Alex turned to the voice to see Sora, bathed in golden light, shoot forward like a missile. His Keyblade was pointed forward and he hit the side of the monster with great force. Suddenly, the creature glowed white. Alex looked at Donald who shrugged, before healing everyone. The monster glowed white for a few seconds before going to its original and visible form. Alex was taken completely by surprise. It was a giant chameleon. Its color was a light, camouflage green with a few bits of white on its underbelly. It had one horn protruding from its head and yellow eyes. Claws extended from its fingertips and its tail was curved in a spiral shape. But the part that caught Alex's attention was the symbol on its chest. A large, black heart with a red "x" in the middle.

"This thing's a Heartless?!" Alex exclaimed in disbelief. "How many forms do these guys have?"

The chameleon responded by standing up on its two legs and shake its head violently. Its eyes began to glow white and soon enough, white beams shot out from its eyes. The beams hit Alex square in the chest, causing great pain to the boy. The monster charged up again and shot at Sora, but the Keybearer hit the beams back with the Keyblade. Then, he ran forward, while the monster was charging up for a third time, and delivered some painful slashes on the creature. The monster charged forward, knocking Sora on his butt. He got up to see Donald racing toward the creature, quacking all the way.

"C'mon let's go!" Alex patted Sora's shoulder quickly as he inched towards the fight.

"I'm gonna help Tarzan," Sora said. "Besides, looks like Mr. Selfish over there has got everything under control."

Alex had been putting up with Sora's and Donald's bickering for long enough. He tried to be nice about it, but it was time for action. Alex growled at Sora and slapped him right in the face. Sora fell to the ground, clutching his face, screaming, "What the hell man?!"

"That's it!" Alex yelled. "I'm sick of you and your emotional constipation! Donald and Goofy need us and we're gonna go help them whether you like it or not. Besides, Tarzan can take care of himself."

* * *

When Tarzan knocked Clayton off his beast, the hunter had fallen to the ground. He gritted his teeth as he did his best to get up quickly because Tarzan was standing right in front of him, glaring at him with hatred. Then, he ran over to a tree and began to climb it. Clayton smirked as the jungle man disappeared into the treetops.

"Hiding are we?!" Clayton yelled into the sky. "That's good. Because after I take care of you and my beast kills your friends, rounding up your little ape family will be all too easy!"

Clayton was pressing on through sheer rage as he began to climb the tree. When he reached the top, he entered a world of never ending tree branches. They jutted out at different angles and they cast creepy shadows against the solid trees. Vines hung down from the branches which Clayton used for balance. The hunter felt a chill go up his spine as he looked around for Tarzan, his heart beating at a frenetic pace.

With a yell, Tarzan attacked the hunter from above by kicking him in the back. Clayton cried out in pain and surprise as he fell over, being careful of the edge in front of him. Tarzan fell down and tackled the hunter, grabbing his neck and squeezing just enough so that Clayton would pass out. But the hunter wouldn't give up so easily and he punched Tarzan on the side of the head. The jungle man was pushed to the side by the punch and Clayton used the momentum to roll over on top of Tarzan.

The two struggled against each other, grunting and gritting their teeth. Clayton's hand was wrapped around Tarzan's throat and was squeezing, but Tarzan was pushing it away with his hand. He maneuvered his foot so it sat at Clayton's chest. With an extra burst of strength, Tarzan kicked the hunter off of him and he fell through many branches before he painfully landed on a big one.

He struggled to get up and cursed Tarzan's name under his breath. Suddenly, he was jerked backward by the leg. He turned his head to see Tarzan tugging his leg toward him. Clayton grumbled and kicked out with that very leg. The kick caught Tarzan in the head, causing his nose to be showered with blood. Clayton pulled out his retrieved machete from its sheath and swung at the jungle man. Tarzan backed up and dodged the slice until he fell off of the tree branch. Luckily, he grabbed onto the vines on the other side of him and gripped them to slow his fall.

Tarzan peered up to see Clayton fall the same way and Tarzan retreated into a confusing maze of vines that surrounded him. He did his best to find a way out before, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a machete slice towards him. He ducked his head and saw Clayton right beside him. On instinct, Tarzan leapt forward and tackled the hunter. The two men twisted around the vines as they grabbed a hold of their bodies. Clayton punched Tarzan, causing the vine to break again and they fell through the air. Tarzan kicked Clayton in the face as they fell and grabbed another vine, causing him to swing to a tree and land on a branch.

Clayton landed amidst another maze of vines that gripped him in the throat and arms. The hunter was so overcome with anger that he began to cut all the vines around him. He slashed and sliced, screaming all the way. He sliced the two holding his arms, which turned out to be a bad idea because those vines were the only things holding him up. He screamed as he fell downward, the vine still around his neck. As Clayton almost reached the ground, the vine finally met its full length and went slack. The hunter felt no pain as the vine closed around his throat tightly and too fast for him to feel anything. When Tarzan found him, his body was hanging limp in the air by a vine. Tarzan sighed and hung his head low. Death was always hard to see, even if the person was evil.


	16. Keyhole

Chapter 16: Keyhole

_I really need a shower,_ Alex thought.

Despite the fact that a large chameleon lay dead at his feet, his clothes were caked in dried blood, some of which were his and some he didn't know, and that they had just saved a gorilla tribe from being carted off to Britain, Alex could only think of taking a shower.

He looked around the nesting grounds of the gorillas, taking in the sights of the battleground it had become. His other comrades were in the same shape as him, torn clothing and all. Sora had taken a deep breath and threw himself on the ground, stretching his arms out as far as they could go. The Keybearer sighed as he could only smile and peer up at the stars while listening to the sounds of nature. The silence was a nice change of pace compared to the constant adrenaline rush that was fighting Heartless. The grass and bushes that made up the nesting grounds had been trampled and smoke was rising from burnt grass, courtesy of Donald's fire and thunder spells.

Goofy took his small cap off and let the cool night air soothe his sweaty head, but he was careful to keep an eye out for any stray Heartless that tried to attack Jane, who was busy yelling for Tarzan. Donald wiped some blood from his beak and cast a healing spell on everyone, which made Donald fall to the ground because it took a lot of energy out of his body.

Sora, who hadn't forgotten that Donald helped him fight the Heartless, called out, "Hey Donald, are you-."

"I'm fine," Donald said as he struggled to get up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of Ether. The duck opened the lid and began to drink the blue fluid. He drank it so ravenously that some of the liquid began to dribble down his beak and neck.

"Slow down man," Sora motioned with his hand to stop, but Donald had already finished off the bottle and licked his beak. Sora was a little surprised to see the previously downed Donald stand up as if nothing had happened.

"All better," Donald assured Sora who gave a slight smile. Both of them realized that they were talking to one another and it wasn't an argument. They both found it awkward and began to look at the trees. Anything was better than having to face each other.

Goofy began to walk over to his friends when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. The knight turned his head and saw Jane standing behind him with a grateful look on her face. "Thank you Sir Goofy. I don't know how to repay you for protecting me."

Jane giggled as Goofy blushed and said, "Aw, it wasn't nothin' Miss Jane. Just doing my job." He put his cap back on and motioned for Jane to come with him, over to the others.

As Alex walked over to Sora and Donald, he said, "Thanks for the healing spell Donald. That monster took a lot out of me."

"Don't mention it," Donald waved his hand for emphasis.

"Everyone," Jane patted Alex's shoulder and pointed to the trees above. "Look."

Alex turned on his heel, following Jane's finger and looked to where she was pointing. Although it was still dark, Alex could faintly see the outlines of the gorillas hiding in the trees. He squinted his eyes and could see slight movement from the animals. They inched outward from the protection of the trees and looked all around their nesting grounds to make sure that the danger was gone. Alex saw Kala as she hastefully peered from one side of the jungle to the other and the boy had a very good idea what she was looking for.

Alex wasn't sure if the gorillas were going to come out all the way when Kerchak exited the shade of the tree and walked slowly towards Alex and his friends. The mighty gorilla puffed out his chest as he made his way over to the warriors. Goofy gulped because he was sure Kerchak was going to give them another tongue lashing. The gorilla grew bigger as he advanced and Alex almost felt like bowing in fear as Kerchak stopped right in front of him, his powerful body intimidating Alex more than he liked.

Kerchak stared straight into Alex's eyes, causing the boy's legs to begin shaking, until the gorilla spoke. "Thank you."

Alex blinked a couple of times and raised an eyebrow. Did he hear right? Was Kerchak actually thanking them?

"All of you, thank you," Kerchak continued, his eyes shifting from hero to hero. "If you hadn't intervened, my family would surely have been taken away. You honor me with your bravery." The words spoken by Kerchak caused smiles to come to each of the hero's faces. Despite the fights, arguments, and suspicion that had plagued the group for awhile, everything was being forgotten because of Kerchak's words. It made Alex feel good about himself. Back on Earth, Alex wasn't the most eager to help out others than himself, even though he knew he should have. Now, he felt like he was making up for past mistakes.

_In more ways than one,_ Alex thought. The memory of his family hadn't left his thoughts and Alex planned to keep it that way. The only reason he was fighting the Heartless was because they had killed his family. It gave Alex the inspiration to keep on fighting.

"Mother!" Sora and the others turned to see Tarzan as he swung from a vine and landed on the ground. As his feet touched the ground, he didn't stop and ran over to Kala. Goofy was certain he felt a tear come down his face as Kala ran over to her son. The two collided in a fierce embrace that lasted for a good minute. Seeing this tearful reunion made Alex wonder. Would his mother have held him the same way? Even after she had found out what a coward he was?

"Oh Tarzan," Kala said as she slightly pushed Tarzan away so she could talk to his face. "I'm so glad you're not okay. I thought you were....."

Tarzan, knowing what his mother had been thinking, shook his head and said, "No. Not when I knew that my family needed me the most."

Kala was about to say something when she saw Kerchak coming up from her right side. Tarzan stared the gorilla down as he advanced. He wasn't afraid of Kerchak anymore and was willing to take whatever punishment Kerchak had planned for him.

However, much to Tarzan's surprise, Kerchak looked a little nervous, hesitant even. He constantly looked at the ground, struggling to find the right words to say. There was an awkward silence between the two before Kerchak said, "I didn't think you would come back."

Tarzan didn't know how to take that statement, so he just said, "Neither did I."

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Kerchak chuckled slightly. "I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you before." Tarzan blinked. "You were right Tarzan. Your friends were worthy of my trust. I was just too stubborn to see it."

"No," Kerchak looked to his side to see the boy, Sora, walking towards them. "Trying to protect your family isn't stubborn. You had every reason not to trust us. How could we expect you to accept us when there's guys like Clayton running around?"

Kerchak nodded at Sora, thankful that he was mature enough to see the situation from his eyes. "Still, I'm sorry for not trusting you."

Tarzan walked in front of Kerchak and without looking at the gorilla, asked, "Can I show them?" Alex looked over to Sora to see if he knew what he was talking about, but Sora shrugged his shoulders.

"Yes," Kerchak said. Tarzan smiled and motioned for the others to come with him.

As Tarzan grabbed Jane's hand, she asked, "Tarzan, where are we going?"

"Ee ee oo oo ah."

* * *

Along the way, Alex and Sora tried to translate Tarzan's odd phrase, but nothing they came up with made any sense. Alex knew they were just anxious for what they were about to see because Tarzan had said this was where Riku and Kairi were. They were about to find their friends. Donald and Goofy had the same idea. They believed that their king was here. The Gummi block in Goofy's pocket was proof that he was here. At least, they hoped it was.

Their travels eventually led them to a cliff side that overlooked a huge river. Alex looked even further to the left to see a giant waterfall cascading downward. The roar of the waterfall stunned Alex who was starting to appreciate the beauty of nature a little bit more. At least Clayton had one thing right. As they walked along the cliff, the mist from the waterfall wet their clothes. By the time they stopped, Jane's white, sleeveless top was completely drenched.

As they took a quick break in some shade from trees on the cliff, Alex kept his eyes on the massive river below them and said, "Damn. This place is B-E-A-UTIFUL!"

Tarzan glanced over at everyone and put his palm to his chest, saying, "Tarzan, home."

Sora looked at the river, then back to Tarzan. "But I thought the entire jungle was your home?"

Tarzan shook his head, explaining, "This is the center of it all."

"Oh, I see," Sora said, not really knowing what he saw, but he figured everything would be explained in time.

As soon as their little break was over, Tarzan led them further, the waterfall getting closer with every step. Soon enough, Tarzan had led them to the right side of the entire waterfall. The rocky right side of the waterfall blacked some of the water from getting to the group, but they still remained wet by the time they were over there.

"Look there," Tarzan turned away from the group and pointed to a small tunnel that dug its way around and into the waterfall itself.

"You're kiddin' me," Goofy said as he realized where they were going.

"Just don't slip," Donald said without looking at Goofy, knowing that the rule went for everyone, including himself.

"I just hope we don't get attacked by Heartless," Alex said as they began to enter the tunnel.

"Why's that?" Sora asked. "Besides the obvious, I mean?"

"Because if you or your best friend back there decide to fight the Heartless with thunder spells, we are royally screwed," Alex explained.

By this time, everyone had entered the tunnel and the only light they had was from a faint, blue glow that was coming from up ahead. Goofy had been listening to the boys' conversation and asked, "How would that be bad?"

Donald, coming up from the rear, explained, "Because electricity and water don't mix. If I cast a thunder spell in here, the reaction would be more explosive, killing the Heartless and us along with it."

Goofy simply said, "Oh, that's why."

The tunnel ended quite abruptly and the group found themselves in a large cavern that was directly behind the waterfall. Alex stood in awe of the sight before him. In front of him was wet rock formations that had the same bluish glow as the tunnel walls. Moss and other vegetation were scattered across the rock surface. Different platforms of rock rose to different areas and Alex was a little scared when he realized they were probably going to have to climb this wet, slippery rock wall. To the right of the group was the waterfall and it was a sight to see. There was no barrier to protect them from the mist that clouded the cavern and within a few seconds, Alex found himself touching his hair and finding that it was soaked. Nevertheless, the water felt refreshing after all the battles and it was washing off all of the blood from their clothes.

_Well, it ain't no luxury jacuzzi,_ Alex thought. _But it'll have to do._

Tarzan took Jane's hand in his own as he led everyone on the journey to the top. Jane was careful not to let go of Tarzan because he was going to be the only hope for her if she fell. Sora's fingerless gloves provided the grip needed and he was thankful that for once his giant shoes weren't getting in the way. The only reason Goofy was having such a hard time climbing was because he couldn't contain his laughter at Donald. Since Donald had feathers, the water was making his body look deformed and he hated every moment of it. The duck was tempted to smack Goofy with his staff, but, under the circumstances, decided not to.

As they got about halfway up the rock wall, less platforms of rock became available and now they had to rely on long strands of ivy that had begun to grow. It provided a great grip for those who had had enough with wet rock. Alex grimaced as he climbed across a horizontal patch, being careful not to look down. Jane proved to be quite the trooper as she climbed all the way across in a fast manner. Sora thought she was more interested in finding out where they were going then keeping her life.

Soon, they reached the top rock platform which led to another dark tunnel. This one, unfortunately, did not have a faint blue glow to guide them. Tarzan led the way and everyone just put their hands on the person in front of them, making a small train of people.

_Look out everyone!_ Alex thought. _Here comes the blind conga line!_

Tarzan walked at a faster pace, not wanting to stay in the darkness any longer then he needed too. As they proceeded, light began to shine in front of them because of little cracks in the ceiling and soon it began to shine in front of them. Alex knew they had arrived at their destination.

Alex lifted his hands from Jane's shoulders as they entered a new cavern, more beautiful than the one before it. Its perimeter was circular, but the only open area was half of it. The other half, as Alex could see, had been caved in by stone and moss had begun to grow extensively within the stone wall. In front of the stone was a tree that curved strangely until it reached the ceiling, which was now visible due to the top being open, showing Alex the sky and sun. At first, Alex believed that the tree was all green, but upon closer inspection, he saw that it was entirely covered with vines. But the sight that caught Alex's attention the most was what was at the center of the tree.

The middle of the tree wasn't visible due to the strong, blue light that was shining from the tree. It gave off bright circles of light before they disappeared into the corners of darkness of the cavern. As Alex, Sora, and Tarzan approached it further, Alex could hear the murmurs of the others behind him, but couldn't make out exactly what they were saying due to the echoes of the waterfall. Alex was pretty sure that whatever reason Tarzan had for bringing them up here had something to do with that weird light.

Alex stopped about ten feet away from the luminescent tree, partly shielding his eyes from the bright light. Tarzan, on the other hand, walked even further, his eyes fully focused on the tree, giving no hints that his eyes hurt. As soon as Tarzan stopped, he said once again, "Ee ee oo oo ah!"

"I still don't know what that means," Alex sighed in defeat, wishing that Tarzan could speak the word in English.

"Hey," Sora rose his hand in the air and ran over next to Alex. "When you met him, Tarzan said this was where Riku and Kairi were at, right?"

Alex nodded, even though he had no idea where Sora was going with this. "Yeah, so?"

Sora continued, "And when we got to the waterfall, Tarzan said this was the center of the jungle, right?"

Again, Alex nodded, "Yeah. Where the heck are you going with this?"

"It's his home," Sora said. "He even told us that."

"Then why is he still talking gorilla?" Donald asked from the back of the cave.

"Maybe he likes saying it that way," Goofy said, earning him a look from Donald.

"But if this is his home, then where are Riku and Kairi?" Alex asked.

Sora was about to say something, when Tarzan rose up his hand in the air, signaling everyone to be quiet. Alex waited for Tarzan to say something, but instead, he put his hand to his ear. At first, Alex didn't know what he was doing, but Tarzan simplified it with a single word, "Listen."

Sora and Alex looked at each other, confused as to where Tarzan was going with this, but they followed orders and put their hand to their ear.

"The waterfalls," Jane said. "They're echoing all the way here."

Alex put his hand down. "But we knew that alre-."

"Ee ee oo oo ah." Tarzan said, and seeing the curious looks on everyone's face, he did his best to find the words to describe it. "Friends there. See friends."

Jane snapped her fingers, causing everyone in the room to jump, the echo of the snap ringing in their ears. "Oh, sorry, but now I've got it. This phrase, ee ee oo oo ah, means heart." Alex took a step towards Jane, wondering if he had heard right.

"Of course," Goofy said. "When you told Tarzan you were looking for your friends, he musta said that they were in your heart."

"How about that?" Alex mumbled, a little amazed that a jungle man was able to come up with something like that. "Friends in our hearts."

Sora was glad that someone finally figured it out, but the end result had left him unsatisfied. He had wanted to find the real Riku and Kairi, not be told something that he already knew. His friends would always be with him.

"Oh," Donald said with a frown. "So that's what it meant."

"H-h-hea-heart," Tarzan was finally able to say. "Friends, same heart. But Clayton, lose heart. With no heart, no see friends. No heart, no friends."

Sora and Donald came to realize what Tarzan was saying. If you are going to stop being a friend to others, then you'll wind up like Clayton. Alone and evil in your heart.

Sora was the first one to speak. He turned to Donald and said,"I'm sorry that I hit you. Really sorry. You were right in the fact that I was being selfish. I shouldn't have taken your friendship with the King for granted and I won't ever again."

Donald couldn't help, but smile a little. "Well, what you said goes both ways. I should have been more understanding when it came to your friends. I think that punch knocked some sense into me."

Sora laughed as he stuck his hand out, knowing that what he was about to do was kinda cliche'. "Friends?"

Donald did not hesitate as he planted his feathery palm in Sora's. "You betcha."

Sora predicted that Alex was going to make some smart remark, and he wasn't disappointed. "Aww, that's so cute. Let's all be fwends."

Goofy sealed the deal by grabbing all three of them holding them close, yelling, "Yeah! It's like we said before."

Alex knew what Goofy meant. "Only this time, let's mean it!"

All four heroes stood up straight, summoned their weapons, and rose them into the air, saying "All for one and one for all!" Alex didn't even care to make a comment about how technically they were stealing the quote. Tarzan and Jane looked at the heroes admirably, happy that they were all getting along again.

The happy moment didn't last long, as the group's attention shifted to the mysterious light in the center of the tree.

_Heart of the jungle?_ Sora thought. _I wonder......could it be?_

Almost as if he was in a trance, the Keybearer stepped forward slowly, his eyes never averting their gaze from the object of attention. The light sparkled back and forth between light and lighter, as if the light was beckoning Sora forward. Alex watched as his best friend got closer to the tree, wondering what Sora knew that he didn't.

Sora stopped at the foot of the tree. The presence of the Keybearer caused the blue butterflies on the light to disperse from their resting place. Sora continued to stare at the light, knowing that it wasn't the butterflies that was causing it. Goofy sneezed as a butterfly landed on his nose and he grabbed it into his hand. The butterfly fluttered its wings in the gloved hands of Goofy and the knight found the glow of the wings to be mesmerizing, bringing a smile to his face.

As the last of the butterflies flew away, Sora was able to see the true source of the light. A keyhole, emitting a blue light, was embedded into the tree.

_Just like in Wonderland,_ Sora thought. _Does this mean the worlds have something in common? What is the purpose of a keyhole?_

Last time, the Keyblade had forced itself to lock the Keyhole, but this time Sora was in control. Everyone looked in wonder as Sora summoned the Keyblade, the sword giving light to the cave. He pointed the tip of the Keyblade at the keyhole and waited for his weapon to do the rest. As if it read his mind, little stars began to form around the tip of the Keyblade, twirling in a circle and soon were sucked into the weapon. The energy from the stars began to build in blue circle of light, rivaling the keyhole. Sora had to hold the Keyblade with both hands as a beam of light shot from the Keyblade. The beam shot straight into the keyhole, somehow making all of the vines on the tree glow blue. Everyone was in awe of the amazing sight. The keyhole made a locking sound, just as it did before, and began to disintegrate into the air until the only evidence it had been there at all was a small outline of it in the tree.

"What's that?" Goofy pointed with his finger at something that had fallen on the ground. Sora looked down to see a diamond shaped gummi block, mostly green with smudges of orange in the center.

"A gummi," Donald exclaimed.

"But it's sure not the King's," Goofy said in a defeated tone. Donald sighed and hung his head low. They had failed. Their friend wasn't here after all. Neither was Riku or Kairi.

"Hey," Alex exclaimed. "What's that?!"

He pointed to the ground fairly close to where the gummi block had fallen. Sora walked over to the spot and looked down to see the strangest thing. It was a key chain. It had been intricately carved so it would be very smooth and it was in the shape of a butterfly. The eyes of the butterfly were represented by very small, blue gems. The craftsmanship of the key chain astounded Sora and he was surprised to see that the clasp for the chain was metal. Sora knew he wasn't in the best place to inspect it, so he put it in his pocket for now.

Alex leaned down and picked up the gummi. He stared at it for awhile, wondering if they were ever going to find either of their friends. Finally, he turned to the others.

"Well guys," Alex said. "I think it's time we headed out, don't you?" Everyone nodded and began the journey back to camp. On the way, Sora continued to ponder the mystery of these keyholes. He had a feeling that he was going to be doing a lot more of locking keyholes in the future. But to what end?

* * *

The cold, dank air in the room did not even cause the occupants to shiver. Such evil flowed within their hearts that they barely felt anything at all, except their own anticipation of the rewards to come. The stone pedestal in the room continued to show the progress of the four heroes. They had proved to be worthy of their attention.

"What drew the Heartless to that world?" One of them, a man, said.

Maleficent rapped her fingers gently along her staff, moving with elegance and grace. "The hunter lured them there." Her tone did nothing to disguise her contempt for Clayton. One as weak as him could not even begin to grasp the power of the Heartless.

"But why?" The same man asked.

Maleficent smiled, eager to point out the man's flaws. "It was his lust for power that was the bait. But it seems the bait was to tasty for his own good."

A malevolent laugh echoed throughout the chamber by another, his voice dripping with cockiness. "Yeah, his neck got crunched instead."

"Indeed." The one who had asked the questions stepped forward. He sported a long, billowing red and black cape that flowed in the cold breeze. He wore a black tunic that was so long it almost hid his oddly red, curved shoes. On his head sat a black turban that had a bright, red jewel embedded in the center of it. His thin arms were in baggy sleeves and in his hand, he held a staff, like Maleficent. This staff, however, was golden. The top of the staff was shaped like the head of a king cobra, red jewels within the eye spots showing a horror that would give any normal person a phobia of snakes. The man casually stepped forward, stroking his small, but curly beard as he did so. His long face gave the impression that he was bored and he spoke with such an upper class accent that the others figured was an excuse to sound better than everyone else. "Surely a weak-hearted fool like him stood no chance against the Heartless, or the Keybearer for that matter."

The Arabian dressed man continued, "But I will admit, the boy and his little group is starting to become a bit of a bother. After all, he found and locked two of the keyholes."

Just as the man predicted, his leader showed no signs of worry. She made the hologram shine even brighter so everyone could see. "Fear not. It will take him ages to find the rest. Besides, he remains blissfully unaware of our other plan."

Another figure spoke from within the darkness. "Why yes, the princesses."

"They are falling into our hands," Maleficent smiled. "One by one." She waved her hand in the air until she clenched it tightly into a fist.

The sound of heels clacking on the stone floor caused Maleficent to peer over her shoulder, even though she already knew who it was. Everyone stared in wonder as Alice of Wonderland stepped into the room with a dazed look on her face. Maleficent motioned for her to come closer. Alice did as she was instructed and stepped forward, the expression on her face never changing.

Maleficent stifled a giggle. "Speaking of which...."

* * *

Upon their return to the campground, Sora and the gang took it upon themselves to do everything in their power to fix up the place. After all, they had killed off all the Heartless, so they figured they were next in line to take the brunt of the blame, even though Jane constantly told them not to bother. Donald proved to be the most valuable asset. With his magic, he was able to mend broken trinkets in a jiffy. The grandfather clock that once resided on the ground was now back in its original position, looking good as new. The high point for Alex was seeing Donald repair the British flag. The tattered shreds of the flag lay all around the campground, but Donald was able to summon them back. The pieces hovered in the air, arranging themselves in their original shape.

_Well,_ Alex thought. _I know who to go to if I ever need help with a jigsaw puzzle._

After everything had was put back into order, the group met for one last time in the tent.

"Miss Jane," Goofy announced. "Everything is fixed now."

Jane beamed as the knight presented her with a picture of her posing with her father. The picture was not torn anymore and it brought little tears to Jane's eyes.

"Th-thank you," Jane stammered. "Thank you so much all of you. I can't believe that you were able to do all of this."

"It's pretty easy when you've got a magician as good as Donald around," Sora said, putting a hand on the duck's shoulder.

Donald looked over his shoulder at Sora and smiled. "You guys did your part too."

After Donald had spoken, nothing was said for a few seconds. Tarzan looked at the floor and began to pick at his toenail. Everyone knew what had to happen now, but no one wanted to say it.

_Ahh! Uncomfortable silences!,_ Alex thought.

Being the wielder of the Keyblade, Sora knew he had to be the one to speak, "Well, I guess we better get going."

Tarzan immediately looked up with shock. "Why?"

Sora nervously cleared his throat and said, "The people we were looking for aren't here and we have to keep searching for them." Sora looked back at his friends for confirmation and, thankfully, they all nodded in agreement.

Jane appeared baffled, so Alex asked her, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just...well..how did you get here anyway?" Jane asked.

The question caught Alex a little by surprise. He hadn't even thought about how they were going to get back to the Gummi Ship. After all, they had fallen out of it.

Seeing that Alex was stumped, Donald cut in. "Our vessel isn't far from here."

Knowing they had to make the lie seem genuine, Goofy and the others quickly nodded along with the wizard. They started to sweat when Jane eyed each of them with suspicion, but Alex just grinned sheepishly at her and eventually she smiled back, accepting Donald's statement.

Tarzan stepped forward, part of his face brighter than the other due to the oil lamp in the tent. "I...hope that you will visit us again soon." The jungle man smiled at his friends.

Alex walked forward until his face was brightened by the same light that Tarzan's was. He took Tarzan's hand in a firm grip and said, "You can count on it."

Jane smiled and Tarzan pulled Alex's hand forward, causing the entire body of Alex to fall forward, and Tarzan was there to embrace the boy in a tight hug. Alex felt an amazing warmth encompass his body as he returned the hug. The two separated so the others could share the same sign of friendship.

When everyone had finished saying good-byes, Tarzan said, "Even though we may not meet again, I want all of you to know, that you will always be in my heart."

The four heroes took one last look at the friends they had made over the course of two days. Despite the fact that they may never meet, Alex knew that he would remember them forever in his heart. It made Alex think about the Heartless and the reason they existed. Were they trying to prove some kind of point? They may be trying to kill people by taking their hearts, thus killing their bonds with others, but in the process, they were causing Alex's bond with his new friends to grow stronger than the ones he had with his old friends on Earth. Alex wondered if this was making him forget his family and the people who had helped raised him to be the warrior he was now. The thought made Alex quiver with sadness. Not only did he run away when his family needed him the most, but now he was forgetting about them and his friends all together.

_And yet,_ Alex thought, _I know my family wouldn't want me to live in the past with hate. They would be happy to know that I've made friends, even if they aren't from Earth. Mom, Dad,...Sean..., I know I swore that I would avenge your deaths, to hunt down the person who ordered your execution, but haven't I accomplished enough already? Please, give me some kind of-of sign that I can stop this quest for revenge. I-I don't want to live in the past anymore. I just want to help my friends now. Please!_

Yet, as he followed his friends through the jungle to find their ship, eventually leading to new adventures, Alex neither saw, nor felt any sign of closure. Did this mean that his task was not yet finished? He didn't know it then, but Alex Bane was going to realize that his quest for darkness, revenge, and quest for light, the annihilation of the Heartless, was more closely linked then he could ever imagine.

* * *

"So how are we going to find the ship?" Sora asked, casually strolling beside Donald and Goofy.

"Aw, don't worry Sora," Goofy said. "Donald has a tracker for these kind of situations." To prove it, he pointed at Donald who showed Sora an electronic device in his hand. It was shaped like a compass, only the screen was black and its layout was gridded. A blue dot appeared every few seconds, making a small beeping noise.

"That's the ship," Donald explained.

Sora looked puzzled and Donald knew why, so he said, "In emergencies, the ship will go on auto-pilot and find the clearest landing zone." Sora's face turned back to normal now that the technical stuff was out of the way.

The Keybearer looked back at his friend and comrade, Alex, who was walking slowly in a daze. Sora wished that Alex would open up to him a little bit more. The nightmare he had a couple days ago was still fresh in his mind and Sora was a little cautious about asking Alex about it. His friend had said that it was nothing and Sora wanted dearly to believe him, but something just didn't feel right.

"Hey Alex," Sora yelled. His friend blinked a bit, as if coming out of a trance, and looked at Sora. "C'mon ya lazy bum!" Alex rolled his eyes and began to jog over to Sora. The Keybearer was surprised to watch Alex zoom right past him. "Fine. We'll do it your way." Sora began to sprint right after Alex, making a mental note to get him back sometime.

After a thirty minute walk, the team found the Gummi Ship, peacefully waiting within the dense foliage of the forest. They wasted no time in entering and the two boys raced to their rooms. Donald and Goofy didn't know why they were in such a hurry, until they passed the room themselves. The two boys were on their beds, chowing down on some food like hyenas. Donald chuckled slightly and said, "At least we're able to keep our composure. Right Goofy?" The duck looked to his side to see the knight no longer there. Donald growled as he peered into Alex's room and Goofy was right there, eating food along with Alex. Donald shook his head, muttering, "I am surrounded by idiots."

Eventually, the team regrouped in the cockpit. Jiminy began to cry out how much he had been worried about all of them, but Alex was able to calm him down with the offer of a summary of their adventures at Deep Jungle. The cricket quickly stopped flapping his jaws and briskly brandished a pen to begin writing. As Alex was talking with Jiminy, Sora was standing in place by his seat, staring out into the jungle through the window.

Sora jumped a little when Goofy tapped him on the shoulder, asking, "Gawrsh Sora, you okay?"

Sora smiled and chuckled. "Yeah, I'm fine Goofy, Just spaced out for a bit, that's all. I guess I'm just tired."

"Me three," Goofy said. Sora debated telling Goofy that there had been no second person in the conversation, but decided against it.

As Donald took his regular position in the front seat, he said, "All right. Everyone ready to bust out of here?!

"Yes!" The unison response brought a smile to the duck. Nice to know that everyone feels the same way, he thought.

Donald fired up the engines and the low hum began to grow in volume. Alex grabbed Jiminy and put him in his jacket pocket, much to the cricket's dismay. Goofy took his seat and began to check that all the engines, weaponry, and shields were prepped and ready for any kind of resistance.

Just as Donald was about to push on the ignition, Sora leaped from his chair, yelling, "I wanna be pilot!"

As soon as the words escaped Sora's mouth, Alex almost had a heart attack just thinking about what a disaster of monumental proportions Sora's driving skills could be. Alex trusted Sora with his life, but in Alex's category of things he looked for in a good friend, brains wasn't exactly on the top of the list.

Thankfully, Donald appeared to have the same opinion. "Are you kiddin' me?! Driving a star ship is no walk in the park Sora. It took me months to master driving a Gummi Ship."

Goofy turned in his chair. "Whaddya mean "mastered"?"

Donald gave Goofy the death glare, while Alex and Sora were laughing like crazy. "That's beside the point you buffoon! The point is that you aren't ready to pilot this vessel."

Sora threw back his arms and placed both of his hands behind his head, grinning in a cocky sort of way. "Aw come on. How hard could it be?"

Alex slapped his hand against his forehead. _Great, the doofus just jinxed us,_ he thought.

Donald was about to argue some more, but Goofy said, "Aw come on Donald, let him give it a try. He needs the practice anyway."

Sora, grinning triumphantly, said, "Thank you Goofy. And I do need the practice if I'm gonna fly this ship some day. I'm the Keybearer, remember?"

As much as Donald wanted to protest, once again he found himself agreeing with Sora's logic. If something happened to Donald, he could be the only other person to drive it. He sure wasn't going to leave that responsibility to Goofy.

Donald stood up and offered the chair to Sora, but the Keyblader said, "Not yet. First, I wanna show you guys something." He dug within his pockets for a few seconds before pulling out the mysterious key chain.

"Whoah," Alex said as he got up from his chair. "What is that?"

"What is what?" The muffled voice of Jiminy Cricket managed to escape the prison of Alex's pocket. "Let me see. Pull me out this instant."

"Oh sorry," Alex apologized as he pulled the small figure out of his pocket. Jiminy dusted himself off before looking at the object in Sora's hand.

"Look," Sora explained. "This is gonna sound kinda weird, but I got this thing right after I sealed the keyhole at the waterfalls. It just appeared at my feet, along with the Gummi block."

Donald scratched his head, trying to come up with an explanation, but to no avail. "What do you think it means?"

Sora turned to Donald with a half-smile. "Do I look like the kind of guy who knows what the heck is going on?"

"Point taken," Donald replied.

"Maybe the keyhole gave it to ya." All eyes fell on Goofy as he gave his explanation.

"What do you mean Goofy?," Jiminy asked as he plopped a seat right in Alex's palm.

"Well," Goofy explained, "maybe when you closed the keyhole, it gave you those things in return. Sorta like a thank you present."

Donald laughed as he heard that statement. "Are you saying that keyholes have a mind of their own?"

"Maybe he's right Donald," Alex interjected. "I mean, what do we really know about these keyholes? They just seem to appear out of nowhere after we defeat the main threat of each world."

"Actually, that can't be true," Jiminy pointed out.

"Why not?" Alex asked.

"Well, after you four defeated that three headed dog in the Coliseum, I don't recall you telling me that you found a keyhole," Jiminy said.

"Oh yeah," Alex said. So much for that theory.

"So if they don't appear at random," Sora said, "then....no it couldn't be."

"What Sora?" Goofy said. "Didja think of something?"

Sora eyed all of them in the cockpit while saying, "I just thought that if these keyholes aren't appearing at random, does that mean that they were already there? Before we even entered the world?" The theory caught everyone by surprise and no one had any idea how to respond. Before Alex was a little confused about what was going on, now he was extremely confused. If the keyholes were there before they were, then what are they there for?

_The plot thickens,_ Alex thought. _And I don't think that is a good thing._

Alex couldn't take it anymore. "That's it! I'm sick of not knowing. I say we find out what we're doing with these keyholes and gummis before we go any further. I don't want to rush blindly into another situation."

Donald nodded. "I agree one hundred percent, but who do we go to for answers?"

Goofy snapped his fingers. "Maybe Leon'll know what to do."

Alex smiled. "Good thinking Goofy."

Sora decided to take Donald's generous offer before he grew a conscience and got into the pilot's seat. "So, I'm assuming we're goin' back to Traverse Town, right?"

"Do you even have to assume?" Alex said with a silly grin.

As Sora grabbed Donald and demanded to show him how to fly the ship, Alex got back in his seat and put Jiminy back in his pocket before the little guy could give any kind of resistance, although what kind of resistance he could put up Alex had no idea. As Alex strapped himself in, he prayed to God, Jesus, the Buddha, Allah, and any other religious figure he could think of to protect him from Sora's driving skills, as well as his stomach. He was confident that he would be watched over. After all, that's what his religion teacher, Mr. Bishop, would always say.

Ten minutes later......

"BISHOP!! MENTIROSO!!"

* * *

Disney Castle had become as quiet as a tomb since the entire kingdom had found out about King Mickey's odd disappearance. By the castle was an great spanse of houses making up the city. The cobblestone roads were no longer raving with children playing games and markets on every street trying to sell their wares. Everyone was at home, eagerly awaiting the announcement that the King had returned. It was widely known by the population of Disney Kingdom that the King would often go on bizarre trips across the universe, but no one thought much about it. That is, until now.

Queen Minnie and Daisy became increasingly worried about their friends every single day they were away. It just wasn't like the King to go away without explaining why. The only clue that they had was the odd mention of stars going out in the sky. Never ones to doubt the King, Minnie and Daisy had checked on what the letter said and it turned out to be true. At nighttime, stars would just vanish without a trace and the numbers were starting to increase. Because of this, Minnie had began to spend most of her time in the castle library, desperate to find any kind of clue to the King's whereabouts. Minnie couldn't help but feel a sense of impending danger, something that pushed her even harder to find the truth.

An entire week after the court wizard and knight had began their search for the King, Minnie was in the library. In her hands, she held a book about astronomy. She scoured the pages, looking for any reference to disappearing stars. As she flipped a page, she heard the door to the library open. The queen peered up from the book to see her best friend, Daisy, walk in.

Daisy wagged her finger from side to side and tutted. "You know the longer you look at those books, the more your eyes are going to hurt."

Minnie chuckled, but didn't put the book down. "A small price to pay if I must."

"Look," Daisy approached her friend and put her hands on the queen's shoulders, "I'm as worried as you are about him. But Donald and Goofy have never let their friend, nor us down before. You know that."

Minnie nodded and sniffled. "I just want to know he's safe. Is that too much to ask?"

Daisy shook her head. "I know that this looks like very shady business. Actually let me rephrase that, this is shady business we're dealing in. But you know as well as I do that the King wouldn't have gone gallivanting off without telling you unless he had a very, very good reason for it."

Minnie agreed with Daisy and she sat down near a table by a large bookshelf. The massive pictures on the wall of her husband's ancestors were stark reminders that Mickey knew what he was doing. "You're right as always Daisy. But that brings another worry to my mind."

Daisy sat down beside her, trying to be the best friend she could be. "Whatever do you mean, Minnie?"

Minnie wiped her eyes before the tears could even touch her skin and said, "The reason Mickey left had something to do with the stars disappearing. My worry is this. What kind of power could snuff the very stars from the sky?"

Daisy leaned back in her chair, taking in what the queen had said. It gave her a strong sense of foreboding, as if there was something out there in the universe that no one knew about. Something that was far more powerful then her, Minnie, and maybe even, King Mickey.

Daisy shook the thought out of her head, leaned forward, and took Minnie's hand in hers. "They will find him. I promise you that." Minnie squeezed Daisy's hand tight, trying desperately not to show weakness by crying anymore. "And besides, your husband also said in his note that someone had a "key" to our survival. It would appear that Donald and Goofy have found this person. Sora, I think his name was."

Minnie recalled the name, as well as the boy's friend Alex. She wished that Donald would call back for an update, but they must have been out of range. "Don't you think it's sad?"

Daisy was puzzled. "What's sad?"

"The fact that when the chips are down, we have to count on a regular boy to save us from the darkness." Minnie explained. "That responsibility should have been given to someone trained to combat evil, not a boy like Sora."

Daisy offered a reassuring smile. "Well, Goofy said that the boy was quite the fighter, even his friend Alex."

The mention of Alex brought a surprisingly serious look to Minnie's face. "Now, that is something I cannot condone."

"But, why Minnie?" Daisy asked. "You heard them. Alex is Sora's best friend. How can you expect him to stay behind when Sora's life might be in danger?"

"If he was smart he would stay behind," Minnie mumbled.

"Now stop right there," Daisy said forcefully, surprising Minnie. "You're not mad at Alex, you're mad at the King for leaving. Have you even considered the fact that maybe the reason he's out there is because these Heartless creatures have the potential to invade our peaceful kingdom?"

"He knows that we have a defensive measure for that," Minnie replied.

"That doesn't matter to him," Daisy waved her hand in the air. "He's out there to try and eliminate this threat to save everyone. He is out there to stop the Heartless from getting to you, my Queen."

The Queen sat back in her chair, her face blank in expression. "I'm sorry for disagreeing with you Daisy. You are indeed a wiser one than I."

Daisy shook her head. "Rubbish. I don't want to hear you talking like this. Your kingdom needs you strong, rested, and above all, honest." She began to laugh. "Me being wiser than you, hogwash!"

Daisy's laugh was infectious as Minnie realized the second a smile formed on her face. One of the many reasons she loved Daisy. No matter what the situation, she was able to bring a smile to her face. "Don't you have more important things that need attending to?"

As Daisy began to meander to the exit, she said, "More important than comforting a blubbering queen? Most certainly!" As Daisy shut the door, Minnie was able to hear laughter coming from the other side of the door. Now the tears that were coming down Minnie's face were ones of laughter.

The Queen of Disney Castle decided to take Daisy's advice. She grabbed the book from the table and began to make her way to the back of the bookshelf. Her eyes scoured the lower rows, trying to find a single space to insert the book in her hands. Soon enough, she found the space and placed the book in. As she was doing that, she heard the library doors open again.

_That Daisy,_ Minnie thought. _She doesn't quit easily._

The Queen began to walk back to the table, the bookshelf blocking her view of Daisy, but she said, "Oh Daisy, enough already. I'm comi-."

The figure that entered the library wasn't Daisy. He was wearing a nice, blue suit with a white shirt underneath and a red tie on top. The suit was working up a sweat trying to hold his bulky frame. His shoes were black and looked polished. He had enormous arms, legs, and a plump face with two pointy, black ears jutting out from his black hair. His smile was famously smug, which also showed off his four teeth, two at each end of the bottom and top row.

Minnie did her best to hide the fact that she had been crying as she approached the figure, saying, "Hello Pete."

With a voice that seethed with hot-headedness, Pete replied, "A good day to you my Queen." He showed respect by bowing slightly to Minnie.

"What brings you here?" Minnie asked, eager to get him out as quickly as he came in.

"Oh, nuthin' much. Just wanted to know if there was any word on the King being found."

Pete couldn't even sound genuine when he was trying, but Minnie played along. "No word I'm afraid, but Donald and Goofy are desperately looking for him."

A smile came to Pete's face, a sign that was never good. "Ah, yes, yes. Donald and Goofy will find him. I have the highest hopes. I mean, how can they fail when they've got their own little army amassing in that little Gummi Ship?"

A chill went down Minnie's spine. "I don't know what you mean."

Pete began to laugh hardily. "Ha-ha! Oh, don't play with me, my Queen? I know for a fact that the wizard and knight have got two little boys along for their ride."

Minnie was shocked. Had Daisy talked? "How do you know about that, Pete?"

Pete shrugged. "Well, my Queen this is a castle. The walls aren't exactly...thick, so to speak."

"Did Queen Daisy tell you this?"

"No!......Yes."

Minnie couldn't believe it and she didn't. "Sorry Pete. That's not gonna slide. Who told you?"

"I am the King's chief advisor." Pete said with obvious pride as he dusted his shoulder off, even though there was nothing to dust off. "There is little that I do not know."

Minnie sighed, not wanting to press the issue any further. "If that is all Pete, I must be off. Don't speak of this to anyone else." The Queen exited the library in a huff.

Pete cackled. "As you wish, your Majesty. My lips are sealed.....for now."

* * *

In the short week of the appearance of the Heartless, Traverse Town had become more than just a rest stop. It had become a safe haven for those who had lost their entire world to the Heartless. The 1st District was now more populated. The cafe was now opened and customers came and went, dining in the comfortable atmosphere of nighttime accompanied by the numerous electric lights around the square. However, this didn't mean that the Heartless were gone completely. They would show up from time to time, urging many people to stay indoors, but it wasn't as bad as it had been seven days ago.

The great ninja Yuffie casually walked around the 1st District, welcoming the sights of people out and about. She thought about how hers, Leon's, and Aerith's services would no longer be needed soon enough. The Heartless were almost gone completely, making easy work for the ninja and gunblade specialist. Aerith had said that it was a sign that Sora was succeeding in his quest. Leon had agreed, somewhat. He thought that maybe the creatures were just trying to fool them into thinking they had passed on to another world. Yuffie had made a point to say that Heartless weren't known for making killer strategies and Leon, eventually, agreed.

_The fact that Leon hasn't given himself an ulcer yet astonishes me,_ Yuffie thought.

The petite ninja walked down the stone steps in front of the accesory shop and stretched her arms out. A yawn escaped her mouth and her arms swung back down. She was so bored, but not for long.

As Yuffie decided to head back to Leon's place and turn on her heel, the biggest crash she had ever heard made her jump. She quickly turned around, her eyes darting in every direction to see where it came from. Another crash made her jump again, but this time she knew where the sound was coming from. Her eyes fixed on the world exit, the passageway to the dock for star ships. She began to walk forward slowly, worried about what might come out from the other side. More sounds began to come from the other side of the double doors and Yuffie was determined to find out what. The ninja traded in her casual walk for a sprint to the door. Yuffie grabbed on the handles of the two doors and pulled. As she pulled, she could make out the distinct smell of smoke.

As the doors opened, Yuffie found herself coughing from the amount of smoke that was escaping the docking bay. She waved her hands in front of her face to fan the smoke away. The ninja backed up to get away from the choking smoke. While she was backing up, she could hear footsteps on the stone floor of the square. Yuffie did her best to see through the smoke by squinting. She could see four shadows begin to appear and Yuffie could just barely make them out. When the figures emerged from the smoke, Yuffie let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, it's just you guys. Whooh, had me worried there for a second. Anyways, I'm just so glad to see you here and alive."

A very dirty and disgruntled Alex walked out of the smoke, looked Yuffie right in the eye and said, "That makes two of us."

Yuffie looked at the others. Goofy's eyes were wide open, but he wanted nothing more than to close them. The knight was shaking from head to toe. His attire was covered with oil and dust. Although his body was shaking, the expression on his face was one more of shock than fear. Sora was covered with dust as well. The Keybearer looked like he was in a trance, his eyes squinting as Sora struggled to open them all the way. Small tears dribbled out of his eyes, but Yuffie didn't think it was because he was sad. Donald was the scariest sight. Not only was he bathed in dirt and oil, but the duck looked like he was going to commit mass murder, with Sora being the first to go.

Alex, whose brown hair looked like he had skydiving without a helmet, walked slowly towards Yuffie and said in an increasingly fast voice, "I'll make this quick. In Wonderland, we found no magic and wonder. What we found was cards that tried to kill us , an evil clone of Rosie o' Donnel, a keyhole that Sora locked with the Keyblade, and a cat that helped us, ironically, by trying to kill us. In the Olympus Coliseum, we were forced to battle with a dude with spiky hair that's on par with Sora's. This very same dude also happened to have a sword that was twice the size of Leon's. Moving on, this guy apparently was working with the lord of the underworld to kill us, but the guy didn't do it, so naturally the god of the undead sent out his servant, a massive three-headed dog, to eat us alive. Fortunately, we were able to get new abilities due to the Heartless attacking when we were either burned, knocked out, or broken all over. Finally, our ship crashed in the jungle because Sora and Donald got into a fight. I was separated from them and was attacked by a leopard, but was saved by a man in a loincloth. This very same man also happened to have some friends in the jungle. But one of those friends turned out to be a traitorous, greedy scumbag who wanted to bring gorillas to the zoo. Of course, we stopped him, but not before having our butts handed to us by the hunter's pet, a Heartless chameleon that could turn invisible. We sealed a keyhole there as well and Sora and Donald made up. Now if you're wondering why we look like firefighters that just came home from the job, it's because Sora, being the Keybearer and all, decided he should learn how to drive the Gummi Ship. Although, I think the word "drive" would be giving Sora too much credit because his definition of that word is a roller-coaster ride from hell!"

Yuffie's mouth dropped and she tried to process what Alex had just said to her. These guys had obviously been though a lot and she wanted to hear every part of it. But only when they were clean, rested, and not looking like they wanted to kill each other.

"Sora!" Alex yelled as he grabbed the Keybearer by the collar. "I could vomit on you right now!"

Sora, who was too tired to care what happened, mumbled, "Then why don't ya?"

Alex grabbed Sora's head and pulled his ear to Alex's mouth and with a hushed voice that would eventually escalate, he said, "I can't because you left my stomach behind in OUTER SPACE, you DOLT!!"

Sora pushed Alex away from him, just wanting to lay down for a nap. "Hey Yuffie, you think you could get us a room at the hotel?"

Yuffie was still looking at them with a dumbstruck face, but eventually it molded into a laugh out loud frenzy. "Ha-ha! Yeah Sora, I think that can be arranged."

* * *

First off, the rate that I update this story is horrendous and I hate myself for it. I'm sorry guys from the bottom of my heart that I take this long. There is no excuse and I promise to be better in the future.

Secondly, my spring break is starting tomorrow. Now, normally this would be a great time for me to update my story and make up for lost time. But I'm leaving to visit family for the entirety of the break, which breaks my heart because I've been away from this story for long enough and now I don't want to leave. That's just the way things are I guess.

Third, many thanks to all of you for reading this story. I realize that I am nowhere near the best writer out there and I thank you guys for putting up with that. I've been shocked to see that five people have me on their favorite story list. Nothing to brag about I realize, but I'm flattered and it is a great boost for me to get chapters out, despite my lackluster performance in Febuary. Again, thank you!

Last, Please Review! I want to hear your thoughts.

Until after spring break, see ya!


	17. Questions and Answers

Chapter 17:Questions and Answers

Alex didn't remember when his head hit the pillow and he didn't care. The past week had been the most exciting yet perilous and awesome yet heart-breaking week of his entire life. He just couldn't get over the feel that it had been all a dream, but Alex knew by now that it wasn't. To further complicate his thoughts, he wondered if he would rather prefer that it was just a dream. The problem was that Alex was a product of two completely different worlds. The world where he had a family, a girlfriend, he played basketball, and everything was downright normal. The other world he was a part of was what Alex saw as the bigger picture: the universe.

Two years ago, Alex was just fine with believing that the only other life forms in space were possibly aliens. One week ago, Alex had come to grips with the fact that there was another world out there and that he might never leave it, which was actually okay with him. Nowadays, Alex was gripped with a constant state of doubt and disbelief that was eating away at him from the inside. He had to constantly tell himself that he wasn't going mad and what he witnessed was real. Yet, despite all of his worries, Alex was beyond happy that he had friends to share the craziness with, even if two of them were part of that craziness. Alex would never admit it to anyone, but every single battle with the Heartless had him scared stiff. He tried to hide it with quips and screams during battle and sometimes it worked, but the thought that today might be his last was always lingering within.

Alex stayed in bed until he couldn't even stand the smell of his own stink. His eyes fluttered open and he stretched his arms out slowly. A yawn escaped his mouth as he surveyed his surroundings. He was in the red room, he didn't need anyone to tell him that. The oriental styled bed was surrounded by curtains. He grimaced as he reached over, pulling the curtains away with what little strength he had. The light from different lamps throughout the room was enough for Alex to squint until he became accustomed to it.

Alex got off the right side of the bed and made his way to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. As he stripped off his clothes he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He almost didn't recognize himself. His face that was once white as a ghost was now tan from his years on Destiny Islands, the traces of a small beard growing shocked him. His shoulders were broader then he remembered and his muscles were much more developed than in his basketball days. He had a six-pack for the first time and Alex chuckled a little when he saw it. Alex stripped off his pants to find that his leg muscles had been developed as well. If Alex had been a normal fifteen-year old, these changes would have made him the happiest guy on the planet. But Alex wasn't exactly normal and he knew that all too well. The only reason his body looked like this was because he had been pulled into a conflict within the universe against his will. A conflict that had taken the life of his loved ones. Thus, these small rewards that Alex had received would only serve as reminders of his family. That, and tools for killing the bastards that had taken the lives of his loved ones.

Alex turned the shower handle to full blast and hot water descended upon him, engulfing him into a misty prison. The feeling of the water cascading down his back was one of the best feelings ever. Alex stayed that way for a few minutes before he grabbed the soap and began to scrub all over. His scrubbing began slow and smooth, but became fast and furious. Alex didn't know what was coming over him. He just felt an overwhelming need to clean himself vigorously. He scrubbed his hands until they began to bleed a little. As soon as he saw the color of crimson going down the drain, Alex cried out and stopped. He stared shockingly at his hands and body. The realization hit him head on and it made him slip and fall in the tub, water now descending on his face making him sputter. Alex got off his back, but didn't stand back up. He just sat in the shower, going over what happened in his head. Alex had a desperate need to clean himself because it would clean off all of the blood and death that had surrounded him for awhile. He clenched his fists even though it hurt, swearing to himself that he would never let the Heartless get to him like that. He refused to admit weakness in the face of those monsters. After the shower, Alex was going straight to Leon for answers that he should have known long ago. Was Leon hiding something? Alex doubted it, but it was his inner gut telling him not to trust anyone fully. There it was again. That feeling of doubt. Alex shook the feeling out of his head and tried to look at the positives of his situation. His friends would help him through this. There was no doubt in his mind. He should look at this as a new start. Alex looked at the water running down his chest.

_Perfect_, Alex thought. _A baptism for a newborn. But in my case, I am reborn._

_

* * *

_Alex exited his hotel room and made his way down the long hallway to the door. He came out of the hotel to see the stars in the sky. He had slept straight through the day, not that Alex minded. He pulled his sweatshirt jacket on and began to make his way to the First District. Along the way, he took pleasure in seeing actual people walking about on the upper and lower portions of the Second District. A couple holding hands passed him and Alex smiled, glad that he was able to help bring this town back to normal. Although the Heartless appeared to be gone, Alex was on constant guard. It had almost become a reflex . He reckoned he had more battle experience with the Heartless than others and that came with a price of not trusting anyone he didn't know.

The dim lights that kept the Second District from blackness led the way for Alex as he passed a shoe store with displays in the window. A girl was peering through the window at the shoes, trying to decide which ones to buy. Alex couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

Unfortunately, it was loud enough for the girl to hear him and she turned around to look at the person laughing at her. "What's so funny?!"

Alex quickly shifted his expression from comical to serious. He did this also to hide his initial surprise. The girl was probably around his age. She was a few centimeters shorter than he was. She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, showing off her tanned frame and legs that made Alex weak in his own. Though her expression was one of anger, Alex could see the beauty that was there. Blue eyes and blond hair with a hint of brown made Alex have a rough flashback to Ashley. He pictured her stride as she walked towards him, hair flowing behind her as she smiled in a flirtatious manner.

"Yo, dude I'm talkin' to you!" The voice of the girl jolted the thought from his mind, making him slightly irritated. He decided to actually engage this girl in conversation to get her off his back.

"Sorry, I-I wasn't really paying attention I guess," Alex said, immediately wishing that he hadn't.

The girl put her hands on her hips. "Gee thanks! It's nice to know that I'm being ignored when speaking."

Alex put his hands up in mock defense. "Geez lady calm down. You just reminded me of someone I used to know."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "And who might that be? The same girl that kicked your ass in high school?"

Alex couldn't help but laugh. "No, the girl that got her ass kicked out of high school."

Now the girl was laughing and Alex was happy to see her smile, beaming with white teeth. "Touche'. I wouldn't have pegged you for the witty type."

"Well, that just shows how much you know me," Alex said.

"This is very true," She said as she walked toward Alex with her hand out. "I'm Sarah. Sarah Collins."

Alex placed his hand in hers, the warmth of her hands made Alex's troubles melt away. "Well, hello Sarah Collins. I'm Alex. Now that you know my name, there is no need to call me 'dude'."

Sarah brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Sorry about that. I kinda have a ruthless streak, but you can't blame me cuz you were laughin' at me."

"I was just laughing because a week ago this place was ravaged by creatures from the darkness and now look at this place," Alex shot out his arms and spun around in place to emphasize his point. "One day: Am I gonna survive? Next day: What shoes should I wear?"

Sarah chuckled and put her hands in her pockets. "I guess you have a point there. I'm just glad to walk outside without getting attacked by those things."

"I know what you mean," Alex said. A few seconds of awkward silence followed before Alex said,"Well I better get goin'."

"Yeah me too," Sarah said quickly and began walking in the opposite direction of Alex's destination. Alex walked for the wooden doors leading to the First District when he had the urge to turn around and yell, "Hey Sarah."

She turned around with a smile. "Yeah?"

"It was nice meeting you," Alex said.

Alex saw a flash of white teeth as Sarah responded,"Well, it was more than nice meeting you Alex." She spun on her heel and began to walk down the stairs to the lower portion. Alex was trying to figure out what just happened in his head and the result put a little skip in his step as he opened the wooden doors to find his friends.

* * *

As Alex entered the First District, people began to notice him. Alex realized that people were staring at him as he walked down the stairs on the left side of the accessory shop. He did nothing but give them an awkward nod as he made his way to the doors to the accessory shop. He opened the doors and stepped inside, eager to get away from the weird stares. He saw Donald and Goofy sitting on the couches by the fireplace and Sora was chatting with Cid. Sora turned when he heard the doors open and smiled.

"Well well," Cid grinned. "Look who's all freshened up."

Alex gave everyone a wave as he replied, "Hey, if you had blood and guts on your clothes, you would be too."

Sora walked up to Alex and gave him a high-five. "You ready?"

Alex nodded. "Let's find out what we're dealing with, shall we?"

Donald and Goofy stood up and the knight said, "Wait a sec guys. Cid needs to tell ya something."

Cid leaned back against the counter top and said, "Goofy's right. So sit your keaster down!" Everyone made their way to the couch in a hasty fashion.

Cid, satisfied that they had actually listened to him, began, "Now that I have your attention, I overheard some guys in here talkin' about some tournament that's taken place in another world. Would you guys know anything about that?"

"Sure," Alex said immediately. "It's probably taking place at the Coliseum. Phil said that it would take some time to clean up the place after our little encounter with Cerberus. I'm guessing he's had enough time."

"You call our fight with Cerberus a 'little' encounter?" Donald said as he folded his arms.

Alex rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. What of it Cid?"

"I just figured you guys might be interested in that sort of thing," Cid said. "Y'know what Leon said about gettin' stronger. I reckon a tournament is the best place for it."

Sora nodded. "I agree. I say we stop there after we clear up a few things here. Anyone disagree?" Surprisingly, no one did. "Okay, then it's settled. Thanks for the heads up Cid."

"No problem guys," Cid said as he took his rightful place behind the counter. "People come in here all the time tellin' stories of other worlds. You ever need info about what's goin' on in this great galaxy of ours, you come to me."

"Cid," Alex scratched his head. "Just out of curiosity, who was it that was talking about the tournament?"

Cid shrugged. "Just the moogles."

Alex blinked. "What the heck are moogles?" The others seemed pretty keen on hearing the answer as well.

Cid appeared to be shocked. "You never heard of a moogle before?! Jesus Christ! And I suppose you never heard of a chocobo either?"

The blank stares from the heroes was enough to give Cid the indication that they had no idea what the hell he was talking about. "Okay. Moogles are little creatures that you'll probably see around here from time to time. When you see one, don't come rushin' to me, asking where they came from, cuz I have no idea. All I know is that they're very friendly, but can be nasty when they want to."

"Gawrsh," Goofy said. "What do they look like?"

"See for yourself," Cid replied as he pulled a whistle from underneath the counter and blew it. Alex covered his ears, prepared for a loud and blaring noise, but the whistle was silent. As Cid finished blowing on the whistle, Alex asked, "Did it work?"

Suddenly, a trapdoor opened from the ceiling of the shop, taking everyone except Cid by surprise. Three little creatures began to descend from the darkness in the attic, only it wasn't by ladder. Two red wings grew from the creature's back and a single black antenna protruded from its head with a pink ball at the very end of it. The moogle's fur was pure white and looked its eyes had been sealed shut, yet they maneuvered around the room expertly. The three moogles each flew in front of Cid and lined up while still in the air. To the shock of the four heroes, the moogles said in synchronized voices, "How may we be of service, kupo?"

Cid smiled as he saw the reactions of the others. "That'll be all guys. I just wanted to introduce you to our new customers. Alex, Sora, Donald, and Goofy."

The moogles flapped their wings as they turned around to see each of them. Alex found it quite freaky that they were being studied by creatures that had their eyes shut. One of the moogles flapped forward until it was inches from Alex's face and said, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, kupo."

Hesitantly, Alex replied, "Likewise." He gave it a nervous smile, wondering if they could see it.

"If you ever need anything to be synthesized, just let us know, kupo," The moogle said and with a flap of his wings, he and the others flew back up into the attic and shut the trapdoor.

Shaking off the shock of meeting the moogles, Sora asked Cid, "What did the moogle mean when it said if we needed anything to be synthesized?"

Cid shook his head as he chuckled. These guys had a lot to learn. "Synthesizing is basically upgrading your equipment. Say Goofy wanted a shield built more for offense, the moogles could make one for ya. If you wanted one for defense, they could make on of those too."

"Sounds pretty cool," Donald said, impressed at the little creatures' talent.

"If you guys wanted to do that before ya go, I'm sure Mog would oblige you with some new equipment." Cid said.

"Mog?" Goofy said, scared that he missed something the others didn't.

"That's the name of the one who introduced himself," Cid answered. "He's the leader of the moogles in this shop."

"Okay cool," Sora said as he opened the exit doors. "Well, be seeing ya Cid." The others followed him out the door.

"Come back in one piece," Cid yelled back. "Even better, come with some actual cash! Next time you want info, I'm chargin'."

* * *

Yuffie was waiting for the team as they left Cid's shop. As Sora walked down the steps to the main square of the First District, she revealed herself, saying, "Well, you guys certainly look better than you did yesterday."

Sora groaned. "Didja have to remind us?"

"Whaddya mean?" Donald protested. "She didn't have to remind us of nuthin'. It's gonna take more than that to make me forget your mediocre driving."

Yuffie laughed as they walked under the streetlamps of the square. "Anyhoo, I assume that you want find Leon, right Sora?" Sora nodded.

"Then you can probably find him at his secret training area," Yuffie said.

Alex's ears perked at the sound of that. "Secret training area? That's awesome! Let me guess, he has some dojo at his house that has VR technology. Am I right? Does he have a cool motorcycle? Tell us where it's at!"

Yuffie gave him a smug grin that made Alex queasy with anticipation. Secret training area? Leon probably had all sorts of nifty gadgets to fight the Heartless. Maybe he had guns. Or grenades. Or maybe-.

"He's in Traverse Town's waterways," Yuffie said with a deadpan expression.

"Oh," Alex said with an obvious look of disappointment. "The sewers. Sounds like a great place to train....not."

Yuffie slapped Alex on the back. "Welcome to the team kiddo." Alex smiled slightly.

"So, where do we find these waterways?" Sora asked.

The ninja was about to say something, but Goofy cut her off. "Oh! I remember where it is. Me and Donald walked by it."

The duck turned to Goofy, puzzled. "We did?"

"Yeah," Goofy smiled. "It was when we were walkin' down that alleyway with all the neon light thingies. The waterways were right next to us. That was right before you said you weren't scared, but then that nice Aerith lady showed up and scared you half to death."

Donald tried to drown out the sounds of Alex, Sora, and Yuffie laughing, but failed miserably. He tried to get back at Goofy by saying, "If I recall correctly, you were scared stiff too."

Goofy chuckled. "But at least I'm man enough to admit it." This only made the others laugh even harder. Donald wondered if, for being the court wizard of Disney Castle, it was legal to beat the stuffing out of Goofy.

After he got all the laughs out, Sora said, "Okay guys, let's get a move on."

"Good luck," Yuffie waved at the group as they made their way to the Second District.

The journey through the district was uneventful, but Alex still noticed people looking at them. He wondered if he was becoming paranoid or something like that. Goofy found the entrance to the alleyway by the fountain that was embedded into the wall on the lower level. The wooden door opened them up to a dark alley that was at the back of the hotel buildings. Alex could see the balconies of the hotel rooms and wondered how easy it would be for him to just jump up there. On the left of the alleyway was the waterway. The small chasm of concrete that was set up for the pathway of water was enough so that the water didn't overflow. Alex followed the trail of water until it led them to a barred dead end.

"Well, that might complicate things a little," Alex muttered.

Sora lept down into the water. He winced as the icy cold liquid began to soak its way into his shoes. The Keybearer grabbed the iron bars and pulled on them to test their strength. Despite Sora's newfound power, he was unable to break the bars.

"Damn," Sora muttered as he kicked the water in frustration. "It's no good. I can't break them."

Goofy stepped down into the water and said, "Maybe I can."

"You sure?" Sora asked.

"Yep," Goofy said confidently.

"He's right," Donald said in agreement. "Goofy might not be the brightest tool in the shed, but he's the strongest guy I've ever met."

Goofy smiled at the compliment and nudged Sora as he grabbed the bars. Sora could see him clenching the bars and slightly pulling on them. He was doing the same thing Sora had done. Once Goofy had tested the bars he motioned for everyone to move out of the way. The knight pulled out his shield and walked a few feet away from the bars. Then he turned around to face them. The knight held his shield in front of him and began to sprint forward. The water seemed to leap out of the waterway as Goofy increased his speed. With a bellow, Goofy collided with the bars, breaking the iron off into the water.

"Whoo-hoo!" Alex yelled as he put his hands in the air. "What a beast!"

Goofy spluttered as he brought his face out of the water. "Well, that didn't hurt as much as I thought it would."

Sora laughed and put a hand on Goofy's shoulder. "That was the coolest thing I've ever seen anyone do."

"Oh gawrsh you guys," Goofy said as he began to blush.

Donald shook his head. "Well, this is a nice moment, but can we move ahead, please?"

Sora led the way as the team began their journey through the waterway. There was no light on the journey, but the waterway followed a linear path that made it hard to get lost or turned around. Alex grabbed ahold of Sora's jacket to make sure that he stayed with his friend. Unfortunately, the "jacket" turned out to be Sora's left cheek pocket, causing the Keybearer to jump in surprise. Water splashed around and the two friends began to yell at each other, but they stopped shortly because their voices began to echo along the passageway. Sora took this as a sign that they were nearing their destination.

The water level began to get deeper, so deep that everyone had to start swimming. Alex hoped that they were close to finding Leon because he wasn't sure how long he could keep treading water. Eventually, the waterway began to get lighter and Aflex could see what was in front of him. The walls around them were made of smooth, green rock with the occasional rise that made Alex think of the hilly topography of central Kansas. The rock walls were damp from the water so it would do no good to clasp the rock for support. Alex and the others swam farther until they entered a large cavern.

All around them were the same dark green colored rocks. They made up the ceiling also and the bumpy surface continued to show there as well. Alex was reminded of a trip he took with his parents to a cave. The formations of stalactites had always fascinated him and he was equally impressed at the ones he was seeing now. The cavern was illuminated by two lamps that were on either side of a stone, arched entrance about thirty feet away from them. The water stopped about halfway into the area and the ground emerged, made up of the same rocks.

Standing on the ground section of the cavern were Leon and Aerith. Aerith was watching Leon as the Gunblade specialist sliced his sword through the air, making a high pitched noise that only further proved that Leon knew what he was doing. The Gunblade was thrust forward by its wielder and twirled in the air to make a diagonal cut. Leon made short grunts as he swung the sword that he held so dear. His spar with his imaginary opponent was more than enough to grab the attention of Aerith with such force that she didn't even notice the arrival of the Keybearer as he walked out of the water.

The steps of someone other than himself grabbed Leon's attention. He turned around and leaped forward, Gunblade raised in the air. Sora just barely managed to summon his Keyblade in time to deflect the attack, the two swords creating sparks upon impact. Leon wasted no time as he sliced at the Keybearer. Sora brought up the Keyblade to block once more, but Leon had faked Sora out, stopping his vertical slice and performing a straight thrust. Sora brought the Keyblade down upon the Gunblade and quickly snapped his Keyblade back up at the unprotected face of Leon, but the warrior leaned back far, the Keyblade barely missing his nose. The two continued to spar throughout the cavern as Alex gave Aerith a nervous wave.

Leon began to lead Sora down a watery pathway that eventually led to a dead end, but on the rock wall was a mural of a moon and a night sky. Sora stuck his Keyblade into the water and swung upwards, hoping to distract Leon with the liquid, but Leon showed no sign of being distracted as he cleaved at Sora's legs. Sora performed a backward flip, dodging the Gunblade, and landed on the ground perfectly, just as Leon readied his leg for a front snap kick. Due to Sora's heightened reflexes, he was able to see the kick coming in time to grab it with both of his hands. The kick jarred Sora slightly, but he had a good grip on Leon's foot as he tried to pull it out. Leon slammed the Gunblade down into the ground with enough strength so that it embedded itself into the rock. Then, he grabbed the Gunblade with both hands and pushed upward, weakening Sora's hold on his foot and making him high enough to kick the Keybearer in the chest with his other foot. The kick caused Sora to fall back into the water. He spluttered and shook the water out of his eyes in time to see Leon swing the Gunblade down at him. Sora winced, but the Gunblade stopped above Sora's throat.

Sora looked up and saw Leon half-smiling and offering a hand to the fallen Keybearer. "Looks like someone has grown."

Sora took the hand gladly and smiling sheepishly. "Not enough if would seem."

Leon chuckled. "Even so, I pity the next Heartless that has to go against you."

The two walked back to the center of the cavern where the others were waiting. Donald was impatiently tapping his webbed foot on the damp ground. "It's about time."

"Sorry to keep you waiting Donald," Sora said in a sarcastic tone. "And where was my backup when I so desperately needed it?!"

His question was aimed primarily at Alex and he knew it. He smiled at his defeated friend and said, "We decided that seeing you get your butt kicked was much more fun."

Sora turned to Leon and offered an exasperated look. "Do you see what I have to put up with?"

"Truthfully," Alex said, "I don't see what any difference we could have made. Leon would have done the same thing to us as he did to you."

"I don't know about that," Leon said as he propped his sword against a boulder. "I had to actually put a little effort into it this time. If Sora's gotten stronger, then I assume you have as well."

Goofy nodded. "Sure have. And it's all thanks to the Heartless who so diligently try to kill us. Ahyuck!"

"It sounds like you four have quite the story to tell," Aerith said, speaking for the first time. "And we are eager to hear it."

The four friends spent the next thirty minutes going over their journey so far. Leon and Aerith would interrupt from time to time to ask questions about the Heartless and what their objective seemed to be. Sora said that he didn't know. He told of Alice, Hercules, and Tarzan. Alex smiled when Leon appeared to be impressed when they told him of their scrape with Cerberus, the Trickmaster, and Clayton.

"We would still be out there, but we needed to ask you something Leon," Sora explained.

Leon narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"

"I thought the Keyblade was just a cool weapon that was designed to kill Heartless, but if that was true then how can Alex's sword kill them. I didn't think that much of it until something happened. We found a-."

"Keyhole," Aerith finished his sentence for him. "You found a keyhole, didn't you?" Sora nodded hesitantly, anxious to hear if that was a good thing or if he just screwed the universe.

"Very good Sora," Leon said as he put a hand on the Keybearer's shoulder. "Now you know the true purpose of the Keyblade. To lock the keyholes."

"Whoah now!" Alex raised his hands. "Back up please! What is the deal with these Keyholes?"

"Every world in this universe has a Keyhole," Leon began to explain. "And every keyhole leads to the heart of that particular world."

"What do you mean by 'heart of the world'?" Donald asked.

"Ansem mentioned it in his report," Aerith said. "He said that the Heartless enter into the keyhole and do something to the world's core."

Alex frowned. "I don't have to be a genius to figure out that whatever they do to the world's core is very very bad."

Leon nodded. "Right. We have to do anything we can to stop the Heartless from achieving their goal."

"Whatever it might be," Aerith mumbled. "Please lock the keyholes Sora. You're the only one who can."

Sora felt like a tremendous weight had just been placed on his back and was chained there. He tried to gulp, but his mouth was very dry. "Gosh, I-I...don't know."

"Visiting other worlds would probably serve you well," Leon said as he crossed his arms. "Am I right?"

"Yeah," Goofy put an arm around Sora. "We gotta find our friends, remember?''

"Not to mention King Mickey," Donald added.

Sora flashed back to the night the Heartless came to Destiny Islands. His best friends had been taken from him that night and he had sworn to get them back. He knew the risks were worth it. "I'll do it." The encouraging smiles from everyone delighted him.

"We have another thing to ask," Donald said, reaching into his pocket. "We found some Gummi blocks, but they're a little bit different from the other regular ones." The duck pulled out the blocks and allowed Aerith and Leon to see them. Leon put one hand against his chin, thinking hard. Donald looked from Aerith to Leon, then asked, "Well, do you know what they're for?"

Leon shot Donald a look, not appreciating the impatient tone. "If I were you, I'd ask Cid."

"Cid?" Goofy raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Aerith said. "Before he got into business at the accessory shop, he was a real Gummi block expert. Probably still is."

Sora nodded that he understood and said, "Well, let's go ask Cid then."

Before Sora turned, Leon said, "Wait Sora. Take this with you." Leon reached into his pocket and pulled out a stone. He handed it to Sora, who grabbed it and studied it more closely. It was blue crystal and Sora could see through the stone all the way to the center which looked like it held a yellow light within. Sora looked at Leon, wanting an explanation behind the mysterious stone.

"Don't ask me what it does," Leon shrugged. "But I've been carrying it for luck."

"So why are you giving it to me?" Sora asked.

"Given the circumstances, I think you need it more than I do," Leon replied.

Sora chuckled. Now wasn't that the truth. He placed the stone into his pocket and waved at Leon and Aerith. He motioned at the others to get a move on and they obeyed.

As they were entering the water again, Alex suddenly turned around and said, "Hey Leon! I was just wondering, but what happens to the world when the Heartless get at its own core? Is it really that bad?"

The expression on Leon's face told Alex that it was not a good thing at all. "If the Heartless get to the world's core, then the world itself will die."

"Oh. That bad, huh?"


End file.
